My Royal Pain
by Luna's Child fanfic
Summary: A group of 5 survivors in a Xeno-infested Canada must work together in order to reach safety. When one survivor starts portraying unusual abilities, the group is then sought out by the ones responsible for the apocalypse: the military.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I'm running… running from the brutal nightmare that is steadily catching up to me. I can hear the monster's growl getting louder, but I don't dare to look back. Doing so would mean certain death for me.

I snap back into reality as I trip over a small pebble. I curse under my breath, but I manage to regain my footing. I nearly shriek as the monster's shadow looms over my running figure. Instinctively, I drop down just as the blind monster jumps over where my head once was. It crashes into the muddy ground, an audible crack echoes in the eerie silence as a result. The monster yelps in pain, its mighty figure swirling in semi-circles like a puppy chasing its tail.

Abruptly, the monster stops, and lifts its head towards me. I can't help but shiver as its eyeless face seems to glare at me with malice. It's obvious that it wants me dead now more than ever.

Despite my fear, I raise my AK-47 at its head level, and fire well-aimed shots at its face. The creature shrieks as the bullets impact their target; its acidic blood pours out from various holes, and sizzles on the once concrete ground.

I keep on shooting but the creature seems to ignore the bullets like Superman. It gets up and stretches its hind legs like a bull before it charges. My eyes widen in realization. _Oh shit_.

I look around me desperately in search for an escape route. I find it in the form of an alleyway that in any other situation I would have gladly avoided it. Now, however, was not the time to be picky.

I run towards the alleyway, just narrowly avoiding being grazed by the creature. Xenomorph was its given name by the military. They were merciless and cunning creatures; their whole lives were revolved around violence. Even their birth was a violent experience for the host as they typically didn't survive, though I have heard rumors of a military hospital offering specialized surgeries to remove the alien embryo. I'm not sure if that is true, but I rather not get infected just to find out.

The Xenomorph's roar sends a chill through me unlike anything else before. It also reminds me as to why I have to escape it; I don't plan on either becoming its lunch or a host for one of its cannibalistic siblings.

A sneer makes its way onto my face as I fire some shots. They hit their intended target, but the damn Praetorian isn't slowing down. In fact, it seems like the bullets are just making it run faster. I curse inwardly at my awful luck; this would have been a whole lot easier if I wasn't on my own.

I wasn't always alone; I had a partner named Alannah, but that damn girl was always wondering off on her own despite my numerous warnings. We got separated when she just happened to stumble onto a small Xeno nest. I wanted to kill myself then and there due to our luck. Well, more like Alannah's luck; before I met her, I was never cursed to have such bad luck. I have no idea what happened to her, but I promised to find her. That was easier said than done, however, as the ruins of the once grand city of Toronto, Canada was a debris field full of raging fires, and corpses. A perfect wonderland for the Xenomorphs.

From the corner of my eye, a brightly painted door catches my attention. Hope starts to fill me up. It's a safe house, perhaps one of the only safe places in the Xeno apocalypse. With a purpose, I abruptly change my direction; as such, the Praetorian screeches as it slides into an old dumpster.

I momentarily laugh at the hilarious sight, but the roar from the creature shuts me up right away. It quickly recovers from its stunned behavior, and it jumps onto the wall. A sweat drop pours down my face. _Shit_! I think in panic.

I continue to run, and shoot at the same time. Annoyed with my antics, the creature aims its long barbed tail at me, and knocks my gun out of my grip. It falls to the side, but I don't dare to try to pick it up. A hiss was my only warning as the tail narrowly misses decapitating me. I shriek, and force myself to run faster.

Just a few meters away is the safe house. With a newly found purpose, I book it to the door with all of my might. I practically jump in happiness when I reach it. My relief, however, is short-lived as I realize that the door is locked. My heart hammers in my chest as I desperately try to force the door open. _No, no no no no NO! This can't be happening!_ I all but scream in my head.

Another roar forces me to look at the incoming danger. There is nowhere to run, and no time to hide; after everything I had been through to survive, I'm going to die just outside the perimeter of safety. I cover my head to block the view of death. I can feel the Praetorian jump off the ground to reach me, its hissing slaps the air around me like a leather whip.

Abruptly, it goes quiet when a gunshot fires. The malicious creature crashes to the ground, and lays still. A deafening silence then takes over; hell, I can hear my heart pounding so hard against my ribcage that I worry it would come out like a baby Xeno.

I mentally slap myself for the uncalled for joke, and look for the one who killed the Praetorian. As if on cue, footsteps make their way over to my direction. From the dust comes a tall figure, male by the looks of it. He approaches me casually, as if killing Xenos were just a normal routine in life. He stops in front of me, and grunts as he inspects me. "Is this your gun?" He asks as he tosses me my precious Ak-47.

I hug the piece of metal close to me as if it were a child. A low chuckle causes me to glance at the man again. An amused smile appears on his worn face. "What's your name girl?" He asks.

I swallow self-consciously. "My name is Sharon." I reply shyly.

One of his thick eyebrows lifts up. "Sharon, huh? That's not exactly a common name around here. I'm Pete" He replies.

I scowl at his remark. "Yeah, and it's _so_ common to see a European acting like a red neck."

The man laughs. "Heh, touché." He answers cheerfully.

His attitude makes me question his sanity; how in the hell can he be so cheerful in an apocalypse?

I'm pulled from my thoughts by Pete leaning down and offering a hand. I take it, and he pulls me up effortlessly. He seems to have noticed as well. "Damn girl, why are you so skinny?" He comments innocently.

If he hadn't saved my life, I would have kicked his ass for commenting on my weight. Instead, I ignore his comment, and gesture towards the still-locked door. "The door's locked; I couldn't get in."

Pete walks around me, and pulls out a thick key and unlocks the door. I stare at him wide-eyed. In return, he gives me a questioningly look. I almost died because this Yankee wannabe locked the damn safe house? I can't believe it.

I don't hold back my inner thoughts. "You locked the safe house? Why the hell did you do that?" I ask, just barely keeping my nerves together.

Pete cocks his head back. "Well, I didn't want anybody to steal my stuff." He grins as if my near-death experience was not at all alarming.

A vein throbs on my forehead, but I roughly push past the idiot. There are two sofas inside that have seen better days, but I'm so exhausted that I couldn't care less about their state. I lie down on the smaller one, and let out a prolonged sigh. I close my eyes, and allow the wanted state of rest to gradually take over. Just as I'm almost sleeping, my brain decides to take that opportunity to fill me with the mental imagine Pete staring at me with lust-filled intentions.

The thought had me scrambling to a sitting position. Pete wasn't a pedophile, right?

The accused slightly jumps at my abrupt movement, and holds his hands up. "Whoa, slow down there girl. You had a bad dream or something?" He asked.

I glance at his slightly concerned face. He doesn't seem to be a rapist, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "Yeah; I was just thinking about my friend." I half-lie.

That automatically catches the man's attention. "Your friend? What happened to him?"

I stare at the dusty ground blankly. "We stumbled upon a small Xeno nest and got separated. I've been trying to find her ever since."

Pete whistles. "Damn, no wonder that Praetorian was so intent on catching you."

A solemn silence then takes hold of the atmosphere. Pete remains quiet, though I'm not sure if I wanted him to say anything at all.

Finally, he speaks. "If your friend is any good of a fighter as you are, then I'm sure she's alright. Hell, she's probably just as worried about you as you are of her."

I glance up at him sadly, though on the inside I'm grateful for his comforting words. "Yeah," I reply, "I suppose she is." With that, I grumble to myself, and attempt to go back to sleep, though this time I hold my gun closely.

Pete coughs almost awkwardly. "Well, umm, I'm going to take a shower now. If you're hungry, there's some boxed goods in the other room. When you feel ready to talk some more, we'll discuss our next plan of strategy then." With that, he left the room.

Alas, the much wanted state of isolation is granted. Unfortunately, it forces me to focus on my thoughts rather than be in peace. My mind is swirling in various thoughts, but only one is what has me worried the most. _Alannah, please be alright_, I say to myself before I finally am able to succumb to the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I wake up to the sound of a distant low humming. Groggily, I get up and stretch my incredibly sore muscles. Gosh, that earlier fight with the Praetorian sure left its impact on me.

The humming came again, although it's slightly louder since I'm fully awake. Curious, I stand up, and cautiously exit the "living room". I enter a narrow hallway of sorts, and follow the source of the low humming. It leads me to a kitchen area where there's actually a workable stove, fridge, and microwave. I realize that it's Pete who's humming an unfamiliar tune while he's cooking what appears to be bacon and eggs. He turns around, and nearly drops the pan full of food. "Sharon!" He exclaims. "I didn't realize you were awake."

I ignore his outburst, and instead stare at the pan of deliciously warm food. Pete catches my gaze, and grins. "You hungry?" He asks.

I nod eagerly in reply. Thankfully, Pete walks over to a tiny square table, and puts a generous portion of food onto a plastic plate. I sit down on the squeaky chair, and inhale the magnificent aroma. I grab the utensils that were placed in front of me, and quickly cut the food, imagining it as a Xenomorph that I was experimenting on. I pop one piece into my mouth, and nearly moan as my taste buds come alive. It took all of my will power to not hastily shove the food down my throat for it was so delicious.

I continue to gorge on the food, while downing it with some water that Pete places on the table. When I'm done, I nod to him in thanks, and compliment him on his cooking skills. He smiles bashfully, and places the dirty dishes in the sink. "If there's one advice that I took seriously from my parents is that a man who knows how to cook is easily a womanizer." He winks.

My earlier suspicion of him being a pedophile lodges into my mind. I choose to ignore his comment, however, and observe the small kitchen. It was rather plain, really, with the wall an incredibly dull shade of yellow, and only a small flower painting for decoration. I don't care though; a safe house is a safe house.

Once the table is cleared away, Pete takes out a stained map, and stretches it to its fullest. Upon closer inspection, I realize that it's a map of Toronto. I glance up at Pete and he catches my stare. "Do you know the Toronto area well?" He asks.

I shake my head. "Nah, the only place I've been here is the airport. I'm from Alberta." I reply.

Pete grunts in reply, but then grins. "It's a good thing for you that I happen to be a resident. Well, more like a former resident." A sad smile then appears on his face.

I look away as I don't want to be reminded of the pain that has spread across the globe.

What started out as a normal holiday season ended up turning into a bloody nightmare as the Xenomorph epidemic struck. The Canadian government was completely caught off guard by the attack as hordes of Xenomorphs spread like wild fire through the country. Surprisingly, the Xenos left the Rockies alone. I suppose it had something to do with the cold and higher altitude.

My own parents became victims of the horrific birth when the Toronto Pearson Airport was attacked. I got separated from them, and it was then that by pure coincidence that I met Alannah along the way. My first impression of her was that she was a complete lunatic when she charged head-on towards an incoming Warrior. I wasn't sure what shocked me more; the fact that she did something stupid and insane like that, or that she actually killed the alien. Either way, I developed respect for her.

Over the course of the three weeks since the infection, I've grown quite fond of Alannah and even thought of her as my sister. That's why I have to find her; I refuse to just abandon her like I did my parents…

An awkward silence hangs in the air as Pete and I both wonder how to break it. Thankfully, the man clears his throat exaggeratedly while pointing to a specific point on the map. "This is where we are. Where did you get separated from your friend?"

I bite my bottom lip in concentration as I try to find the approximate location. "It was at some major chain hotel close to Pearson Airport. I can't remember the name though."

A look of disappointment passes through Pete's face. "Then this will make our expedition harder; there are dozens of hotels around Pearson."

Inwardly, I curse myself for not having paid attention to the area. I then look at Pete reluctantly. He sighs, and then gets up. "Well, guess we'll have to check out all of them. We've got about nine hours of daylight, so hopefully that'll be enough time for us."

Pete walks out of the room, leaving me behind to reflect on his words. I snap myself out of my daze, and go after him. I find him in the other room where there's all kinds of supplies; med kits, canned food, ammo, you name it. I can't help but whistle at the sight. I was beginning to run low on ammo specifically even before my encounter with the Praetorian.

Pete looks over his shoulder, and grins at me. "Take all the supplies you want. We may not be coming back here."

Taking his advice seriously, I pack whatever I need, and wait for Pete by the entrance. A few minutes later, the tall man comes up, and takes out his serrated shotgun. "You ready for this?" He asks.

I nod wordlessly, loading my own gun with the extra ammo. With that we step out of the temporary safe haven into the dangerous world beyond.

If I'm guessing correctly, I'd say that it's around 10am; since it's early summer that means the sun will set later, providing us with a longer time frame to look for Alannah.

Cautiously, we walk down the exposed path, all the while keeping an eye on all of our sides. I'll never admit it, but I'm glad that Pete found me; I hate being alone, especially in a world fill of constant danger.

The first two hours went by relatively okay, aside from a few face huggers that we took care of easily. I purposely squish one beneath my sneakers, not at all caring about the acidic damage for it was minimal.

On the third hour, we finally arrive at the general neighborhood of our intentions. Pete turns to face me. "Well, we've got about six more hours of daylight, if the weather permits it. We'll start by searching the hotels on the west side of the neighborhood, and make our way from there. If we don't succeed in finding your friend before sunset, then I'm afraid we'll have to abandon our search for a safe house."

I nod wordlessly again, and we begin the search. It's hard work to thoroughly search the perimeter of a hotel, especially when it's more than one that you have to look through. Every hotel we searched around looked like a tornado had passed through and wreaked incredible havoc. Surprisingly, there's an obvious lack of blood in the immediate area. I'm not sure if that was because the Xenomorphs took victims as hosts, or if survivors left the area. Either way, I'm glad that I don't have to expose my favorite pair of sneakers to even more gore.

This pattern continues on through the afternoon. The sun has gone down significantly, and there's still no sign of Alannah. I became frustrated at our lack of results. In just over an hour, the sun will set, though Pete will undoubtedly force us to seek shelter beforehand. I grit my teeth. _Where the hell is Alannah_?

Suddenly, I catch movement from the corner of my eye. Instinctively, I fire a few warning rounds in the direction. I expected to hear a hiss of sorts, but instead I hear a shriek that sounds human. _Could it be another survivor_? I wondered.

More movement occur, though it's much more cautious. I fire another round on the ground close to it. "Don't shoot!" A panicked voice cries out.

Confused, I aim my gun higher as a figure in black drapes timidly steps forward. My eyes narrow in confusion. "What the hell are you?" I ask sternly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I keep my aim pointed at the figure as it steps forward. It has a humanoid shape, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Who are you?" I ask.

The black drape is slightly lifted before it all slips off of the figure and falls to the ground. A young man stares back at me wide-eyed as if expecting me to shoot him on the spot. Realizing that he's a human, I relax my stance, and lower my gun. "Who are you?" I ask again.

"My name is Parsi." The survivor replies. "I thought that you were a Xenomorph, so I hid under this." He then points to the black drape.

I look at the object in question, and raise an eyebrow. "Xenomorphs may have poor eyesight, but they have an excellent sense of smell. What made you think that the drape would have saved you?"

Parsi chuckles sheepishly. "Err, well it's from the military actually. When the outbreak first started, I was among the few groups that were evacuated early enough. One survivor was infected though, and the base became overrun within days. I managed to salvage some military grade weaponry and other supplies before I escaped."

I hum in interest. "So how does that drape work?"

The young man's brown eyes light up in excitement. "I'm not a scientist to understand the full details, but basically the drape is made of a specialized fiber that absorbs the wearer's scent, thus rendering them practically undetectable. Before the outbreak, the military was testing it on tracking dogs."

Pete walks over. "That's quite a break-through." He comments. "You said you've got more military supplies around?"

The younger man nods. "Yeah. I've got them set-up in a safe house not far from here."

Pete nods in acknowledgment, and then glances at the darkening sky. "We better get going. These Xeno bastards mostly come out at night after all."

I debate on arguing about staying to find Alannah, but instead keep my mouth shut. My attempt would have been in vain anyways.

Parsi rolls up the drape, and gestures to the west. "Let's get going." He says.

Parsi ended up leading us to the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at the Toronto Pearson Airport. Several of its windows are shattered, and there are various residues from the Xenomorphs' notorious acidic blood. I gingerly step over the puddles as we cross the torn lobby. Parsi leads us down to the basement level where the lovely sight of a safe house appears. Despite my disappointment of not finding Alannah, I can't deny my body of its basic needs: food, and sleep.

Parsi opens the door, and like a gentleman, he allows Pete and I to pass through first. Once we're all inside, the newest member of our "group" closes the barred door, and properly secures it. We don't need any Xenos to sneak in while we slept after all.

I take my time to glance around the new safe house. It was fairly larger than the last one, given that it was an old hotel room. There were two beds, one double and one single. I can't help but smirk in amusement. _I can't wait to see how "close" Parsi and Pete get tonight_, I think to myself.

The two men step into the open space, and I decide to follow. I can't help but stare wide-eyed at all of the exotic equipment Parsi managed to take. Pete whistles appreciatively. "Damn, I wish I joined the military!" He jokes.

I roll my eyes at his childish behavior, but smile nonetheless.

Parsi smiles as well. "Yeah, they're quite impressive. I haven't figured out how all of them work." He comments.

Randomly, his stomach growls loudly in the silence. The young man blushes in embarrassment, which leads Pete to laugh and me to smirk. Still, it's a reminder that we all have to eat.

"You've got any food here?" I inquire.

Parsi shakes his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, the mini-kitchen's this way." He turns around, and goes to the area.

Pete and I follow him, and then sit down at the tiny island. In the meantime, Parsi is looking through various cabinets, and bring out a bunch of canned food along with plastic forks. He looks at us sheepishly. "Eh, sorry for the lack of variety; this place wasn't stocked up enough."

Pete answers for the both of us. "No need to apologize Parsi. It's all good."

I nod in agreement, and Parsi visibly relaxes. He then takes the can opener and opens a can of green beans. Ever the gentleman, he passes it to me first, and then proceeds to open the rest. Eventually, we all take our share of each can until they're all empty. With our hunger satisfied, the two men start a light conversation.

"So," Pete begins as he sits down, "where are you from?" He directs to Parsi.

The younger man turns to face him. "I'm from Belgium. I came to Toronto to visit some relatives." A crest-fallen look passes over his face. "Sadly, I never got to see them since the outbreak occurred."

A solemn atmosphere fills the small kitchen as we all reflect on our losses. Not one to get all touchy feely, I get up and excuse myself. "I'm going to bed." I simply state.

Luckily, neither men comment nor question my behavior, so I fast walk out of the room. I take off my light brown sweater, and jump onto my bed. I moaned as my tense muscles slowly relax, leaving a pleasant numbness to spread over my body.

As I lay on my comfortable bed, I can't fall asleep as numerous thoughts plague my mind. Also, the distant howls of the Xenomorphs as they hunt drift in through the pipes. I shiver self-consciously as I'm thankful for the shelter we have. I roll to my side, and pull the covers over my face as an attempt to block out everything. Eventually, it succeeded and I drifted to a dreamless state.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I'm rudely awakened from my sleep by Parsi who's shaking me violently. I gasp audibly, and stare at the young man expectantly. "What's going on?" I demand.

The look on his face is that of anxiousness. "We've got to get out of here Sharon! Xenos are clashing in the lobby."

My eyes widen momentarily before they narrow to a grim focus. It's then that I hear the horrible screech of metal and flesh being torn and ripped, followed by the animalistic sounds of the Xenomorphs as they struggle.

Immediately, I jump out of bed and pick up my AK-47 off of the carpet. Pete comes in the room carrying a bag full of the military grade supplies. He throws it to Parsi who catches it effortlessly, and then takes out his signature shotgun. "Come on," he starts, "we've got to leave while the Xenos are distracted."

Parsi and I both nod, and we all leave the safe house. We practically bounce off the steps as we try to go up them as quickly as possible. We arrive at a hallway, and quietly make our way forward. The sound of the clash is much louder, and we can practically feel the walls vibrate with their shrieks and hisses.

When we reach the end, Pete signals us to keep to the wall, while he peeks from the corner to scout the perimeter. I too do the same from the opposite side. There are two groups of Xenomorphs attacking each other. I grimace as one particularly large Xeno rips a smaller Warrior in half and then throws each piece away. The top half lands just a few feet away from me. I had to duck as some of its blood sprays on the wall.

Unfortunately, the large Xenomorph with a hideous scar over its snout catches sight of me and snarls. The blood in my veins turn to ice, and I feel my face pale. _Oh shit_.

The larger Xenomorph roars, and bares its frightening storage of numerous sharp teeth. It turns its massive body towards me, and then performs a far leap. My legs are glued to the ground even as my mind is screaming at them to move.

Luckily, I'm thrown to the ground just as the Xenomorph flies over where I used to be with its thick, sharp claws extended forward. I grunt as I impact the tiled floor, but that's better than being torn apart. Someone else grunts, and I notice that it was Pete who threw me out of harm's way. He winces as he presses his unoccupied hand over his side. "We've got to move now! That's a Raven, and we don't have the firepower to deal with it."

My eyes widen at the news. Ravens were tough sons of bitches, and they were capable of eliminating a full squad of marines. Three people with basic weapons were hardly a match for it.

Pete quickly scrambles to his feet, and pulls me up with him. I mentally slap myself to focus, and take out my beloved AK-47. The Raven recuperates from its miss, and turns to face us. It hisses, and slaps its heavy tail on the ground threateningly. I barely manage to suppress a shudder as I aim my gun at its weakest points and fire.

As if on purpose, the Raven casually stalks its way towards us, ignoring the bullets that bounce off of it. Inwardly, I panic as the creature gets closer, and I can't even put a scratch on it. Pete fires a grenade from his shotgun at it, and it seems to catch its attention. The Raven grunts, and hisses at Pete in warning.

Out of nowhere, a small Drone is thrown towards Pete. They both fly off to the side, leaving me all alone in the Raven's menacing stare. It hisses lowly, and its tail whips behind it wildly. My heart pounds against my ribcage, and I desperately look around me for safety. I realize that I'm out in the open, so I opt to seek cover in the narrow hallway behind me where it would be slightly difficult for the Raven's huge frame to squeeze through. I see Parsi peeking from the corner. He's also in its line of sight, though the Raven seems focused on me. _Terrific_, I think sarcastically

Without warning, I take off in a fast run towards the hallway. Parsi's visible eye widens and then quickly disappears from view. Inwardly, I huff at his cowardly behavior.

Something strong knocks me over from behind. My gun flies away from me, and I hiss as I scrape my bare knees against the gritted floor. I ignore the pain, and attempt to get on my feet. As I turn around, I'm pushed onto my back, and come face to face with the Raven's hideous face. I scream, though it's muted by the deafening roar of the Raven as it lowers its face inches from mine. I close my eyes, and prepare myself for the inevitable.

Suddenly, the Raven freezes as if it were a television show put on pause. I dare to open one eye, though I'm tempted to snap it shut again for the terrifying view of the Raven's empty eye sockets. It's like looking Death in the face, yet why am I still alive?

The Raven snorts, and then snarls at me lowly, before it gets off of me, and extends to its full height. I let out a half-choke gasp as the extra weight is relieved from my chest. The Raven roars to catch the attention of its minions. They all stop what they're doing, and then leave through various locations. Their huge leader gives me one last glance before it too leaves.

A few minutes pass, yet I don't dare to move. My body is frozen in fear as I'm amazed that I'm still alive.

A noise pulls me from my shock, and my whole body shudders violently. Something blocks my view of the high ceiling, and I look over at it. Only then do I realize Pete is leaning over me. He desperately shakes me and is shouting at me. "Sharon! Snap out of it." He says.

My eyes blink repeatedly, and I take in fast breaths. Eventually, they slow down, and I feel my heart rate returning to normal. Pete realizes that I've calmed down, so he pulls me up. My legs wobble as I shakily walk over to where Parsi waits for us. Thankfully, Pete helps me maneuver carefully over the Xenomorph bodies that litter the ground, and gently places me against the wall. I lean against it, and slide down. I then take my head into my arms, and squeeze them tightly.

A few minutes go by in utter silence as we all attempt to recover our bravery. After releasing an audible sigh, I free my head from my grip, and look up at my companions.

Pete has a hard look on his mature face; it seems like he wants to scream out loud, but has too much dignity for that. Parsi, on the other hand, has a confused expression. "I don't understand; why would the Xenos attack each other?" He asks.

Pete leans against a wall, and runs a hand through his greasy hair. "Millions of Xenos have been born; that means plenty of Queens are out there running the show. There's just too many hives sharing the same territory. I'm surprised that this is the only clash we've seen in the area so far." He then snorts. "Maybe they'll do us all a favor and kill each other off." He spits on the ground, and then grumbles to himself about Xenos with their "damn horny urges".

If there situation wasn't so dire, I would have found the joke humorous.

I place a hand on the wall as a brace, and lift myself up. I then look at my companions. "So what do we do now?" I ask.

Parsi automatically glances at Pete for guidance. Said person looks around the battlefield as he reflects. "We've got to leave the area. I'm positive that the dominant hive will do everything to keep rivals out of their territory, including us."

My eyes narrow. "But what about Alannah? I can't leave her behind!"

Pete gives me a pitying look. "If you've been separated for so long after stumbling upon a Xeno nest, you have to assume the worst." He answers.

I grit my teeth in controlled anger. I let out a breath, and glare at the man. "Fine then, I'll look for her myself."

I try to walk past him, but he grabs my arm and holds on tightly. "Don't be stupid Sharon; I'm not going to let you get killed looking for your lost friend. If she's smart enough, she'll know to head for the great lakes. Rumor has it that there are still rescue boats docked there, waiting to pick up survivors."

I struggle to get free, but the man's grip was too strong. I stop struggling, and glare at him vainly. He looks back at me with a hard stare like when a teacher was disciplining a misbehaving student.

Eventually, I give in, and sigh irritably. Satisfied, Pete finally relaxes his iron hold on my arm, and gestures for the supply bag. Parsi passes it to him, and Pete takes out a pack of armor piercing bullets for his shotgun. He then passes the bag back to the young man, and fills up his gun. Once finished, he looks at both of us. "No point in standing around here; let's get going."

Wordlessly, we leave the battlefield, and go out onto the open road. It was still dark, although the sun's rays were starting to come out from the horizon. Pete walks towards Safeway grocery store, and peeks inside. "It's looks clear," he states. "Let's go see what supplies we can get before we move out."

Our group "leader" momentarily places his gun on his back as he forces the main doors open. Since the motion sensors were disabled, Parsi and I had to step through as Pete kept the doors open.

Inside the store, my vision struggled to adapt to the near pitch black that plagues the vast space. After a few minutes, I can make out the forms of signs, boxes and other stuff. I hear a ruffling sound, and see Parsi going through the supply bad. He takes out three flashlights, and passes two of them to Pete and I. I turn mine on, and point it in front of me. Pete steps in front of us, and turns to face us. "Alright, the store seems to be secured, but looks can be deceiving. Grab whatever's useful, and meet back at the entrance. Don't wonder off though; you're on your own if you get caught by any Xenos."

"Understood," Parsi replies.

I merely nod, before the three of us split up.

I head towards the furthest aisle where canned goods supposedly are located. I arrive and smile at the sight of a fully supplied shelf. I'm surprised that they weren't raided, but who the hell cares now? That's more supplies for my group and I.

I greedily horde the various cans in a plastic bag I find. I hum mindlessly to myself when I suddenly get shivers. I stop what I'm doing, and strain to listen for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing happens, so I go back to my task. A barely audible moan vibrates through the thick silence. This time, I drop my bag, and take out my gun. I squint my eyes as my vision tries to cut through the dense darkness.

Cautiously, I make my way to the end of the aisle towards the back of the store. I step on my tip toes and reach the end. I remember about my flashlight, and point it in front of me. Instantly, the area is illuminated, and I'm able to see the substance that the Xenos secrete in their hives. I go in the defensive, and aim my gun all over, searching for any hiding monster.

I nearly jump as a noise comes from behind me. "Help… me." A voice croaks quietly.

I point my flashlight at the general area, and almost drop it at the horrific sight. A young girl is covered from neck to toe in the typical substance that the Xenos use to keep their hosts immobilized. Silent tears pour down her face as she struggles to stay conscious. I literally take a step back. "Jesus Christ." I whisper in shock.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I momentarily freeze as I have no idea what to do. The girl needs help, that's obvious, but I don't know if I'll be able to free her. The Xenomorphs's secretion becomes incredibly tough when exposed to air. Also, I have no idea if the girl was impregnated or not. Well, I suppose that's why I have my gun; if the bugger pops out, a blast to the face will take care of it.

Deep within me, I feel a foreign emotion begin to stir. I sincerely hope that she's not infected. The sight of the poor girl trapped made me want to keep her safe.

Determined to free her, I sling my gun on my arm, and grab a sticking end of the secretion. I took a sharp breath, and heave as hard as I can while leaning my feet against the wall. After a couple of good pulls, I successfully pull off the hard layer, leaving the still wet part exposed.

Quickly, I shove all of the gooey stuff aside, and carefully lift the girl. I then gently place her on the ground to inspect her. I check her neck for any sign of strangulation, before I discreetly lift her shirt up to glance at her chest. No bruising whatsoever; I inwardly sigh in relief. The girl seems clean.

I then take the time to look at the girl's face. It was partially covered in the goo and tear stains, though I could make out faint freckles specked around her nose and cheeks. She had shoulder-length reddish-brownish hair; overall, she looks really young. I estimated her to be around twelve years old, though I could be wrong.

A sound pierces through the quiet, and immediately has me on the defensive. _For God's sake Sharon, don't lose your focus_! I inwardly scorn myself.

I unhook my gun from my arm, and point both it and the flashlight in front of me. My face visibly blanches as I see dozens of eggs slowly opening. One that was uncomfortably close to the girl and I revealed a face hugger struggling to climb out.

Without a second thought, I shoot at it. It shrieks as the bullets rip it to shreds, though its other siblings scurry faster as they know hosts are near. I aim my gun all over, continuously firing and wiping out the threat. When all of the eggs are destroyed, I lower my gun onto my lap, and exhale shakily. _That was way too close_.

I tense as I hear footsteps making their way towards my location. From the corner comes Parsi and Pete who has his shotgun at the ready. Relief wash over their faces, and their body gesture relaxes. Pete steps towards me. "Are you alright Sharon?" He asks in concern.

I nod, and then glance at the unconscious girl. "I found her trapped in Xeno residue. After I freed her, I took out the eggs."

"Is she infected?" Pete asks as he suspiciously stares at the girl's chest. If it were any other situation, I would have slapped him for being a pervert.

I shake my head. "I checked her; she's clean." I reply.

The man exhales in relief, and looks over at Parsi. "Pass me the bags; you'll be carrying the girl."

Parsi's eyes widen in disbelief, but then he nods and gives Pete the bags. He then walks over to my direction, and carefully picks up the girl bridal style. He looks at me. "You must be like a Xeno-magnet; everywhere you go, there's always a few lingering by." He grins.

I snort at his poor attempt at a joke, and get up. I sling my gun on my arm once more, and look at Pete expectantly. "What now?" I ask.

Pete meets my gaze evenly. "We may have an extra person on our hands, but the plan doesn't change; we're still heading for the lake." He answers.

I nod my understanding of his logic, and Parsi, ever the loyal one, eagerly voices out his approval. "Yeah, good plan! Maybe we'll find other survivors there." His child-like behavior then melts to reveal a worried look. "Wait, are there any adults around here?" He asks as he looks around nervously.

Pete simply rests his gun against his shoulder in a casual manner. "Well then, we don't want to stick around to find out. Let's get going," he commands.

Parsi and I follow the older man through the aisle. I pick up the plastic bag I dropped earlier, and sling it onto my shoulder like a purse. We then arrive at the entrance, and like before, Pete keeps the door open while Parsi and I go through.

I close my eyes as I enjoy the pleasant feeling of the sunlight on my skin. I momentarily forgot about the whole Xeno-apocalypse, and smile at the peace I felt. I heard movement from my left, and I open my eyes in the direction. I see Pete staring at me with a soft expression. "You should smile more often; it suits you." He says simply, before he walks ahead.

I'm slightly stunned at his compliment, though I'm flattered by it. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Pete's "flirtatious" demeanor was not at all that, but more of a comic relief. He was like the big brother on the block looking out for the rest of us runts while occasionally making sly remarks. He reminds me of a panda bear.

I shake my head, and quietly chuckle at the mentality. I consider it a miracle that some form of my humor survived the apocalypse.

We walk in the direction of the great lake for a few hours in comfortable silence. I suppose each of us are lost in our own thoughts, and need space to put them in order. I, for one, am not really a talkative person when the situation is dire.

I nearly run into Parsi's back as he stopped in his tracks. We arrive at an old diner that's surprisingly in good shape; no blood stains, no broken windows, no evidence to suggest that there was a fight here.

We all step inside, and make our way to one clean table. Parsi gently places the girl on a separate table, and then joins Pete and I. "So, uh…" he starts, "I take it that we're getting our food to go?" He smiles.

I raise an eyebrow at his remark, but Pete laughs. I suppose he welcomed the much needed humor.

"Not quite Parsi." Pete replies. "We'll be taking a break here, so no need to rush." He then gets up, and stretches his lean muscles. "I don't know about you two, but I could certainly use a burger right now."

The mention of food brings out the childish behavior in Parsi once more. "Oh yeah, let's go!"

Pete then turns to face me. "You coming Sharon?" He asks.

I shake my head. "I'll join you two in a bit; I just need to freshen up first."

Pete nods, and I make my way past him and Parsi to the bathroom at the back. I enter the small area, and make my way to the sink. Amazingly, water still comes out, so I take advantage to wipe my face clean. I turn off the faucet, and sigh loudly. I then look up at my reflection.

I looked like crap; my hair looked like a cat coughed it up, my eyes were blood shot, and my face lost its vibrant glow. I glare at my reflection, before I turn away completely. I grumble to myself, but stop as I hear a noise.

I look around as I try to find out what it was. The noise came again, though this time from behind a cubicle. I know that it's a bad idea to go towards the source of the noise, but it's better to know where it is, than to run and have no idea what happened to it.

I cautiously approach the cubicle, and slowly open the door. It reveals an empty toilet where the water inside slushes around. I quietly let out a breath, and then turn around.

Suddenly, something lunges at my face, and the force has me crashing to the ground. I grunt at the impact, but fear takes a hold of me as I feel something wrap around my throat. I realize that it's a face hugger that I'm fighting with.

I scream out for Pete and Parsi while desperately trying to pry the face hugger off of it. That proves to be useless for its mighty grip is nearly impossible to remove.

I start kicking at the door to make noise just in case Pete and Parsi didn't hear me the first time. As I do so, I aim my mouth away from the tube-like structure that comes out of the face hugger. I roll my lips inward as I try to keep my mouth away from it.

To my relief, Pete comes in, and his eyes widen as he sees my state. "Holy shit, Sharon!" Pete yells.

He runs over to me, and grabs a hold of the face hugger. The damn thing is persistent, and tightens its hold on my throat. The increased tightness brings forth pain, and my vision gets blurry as I struggle to breath. My heart hammers in my chest as I panic. _I'm going to die_, I think yet again.

I vaguely pay attention as Pete shouts something, and then Parsi comes in with some tool. I can barely keep my eyes open, the darkness is just too strong and tempting to give into. Finally, I give in and everything goes black.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_I'm surrounded by black goo that is a constant presence in a Xenomorph nest. It's warm and the air is humid, leaving a light layer of sweat on my skin. I'm surprised that I feel so… calm, as if I was right at home. I look down to see myself nearly naked, yet my body is altered._

_There are powerful muscles ripening beneath my thick skin, the color alternating between black and my natural skin tone. My finger and toe nails are incredibly sharp and pointy. My breasts are much larger and fuller than they have ever been, and the same black substance covers them over the middle. My waist is also curvier, and much more feminine looking. My nether regions are also covered with the black substance. I look behind me to see a long barbed tail swirling lazily around. What in the world happened to me?_

_"You are changing," a voice, no, several voices tell me. _

_I jump at the telepathic communication. "You can hear me?" I say in my head._

_"Yes," the voices reply. "You are one with us. You are our new master; the mother of all hives."_

_I find myself hissing in satisfaction. What the?_

_Pulling me from my thoughts is a low growl that greets me. I hiss a reply in both warning, yet interest. A familiar figure makes its way towards me from the darkness. The Raven who attacked me before now stands before me, and bows low in submission. "My Queen," it says in its raspy voice._

_I rest a clawed hand on its crest, and rub it affectionately. "Rise, my son," I command._

_The Raven stands up, and hisses lowly. It then gently takes my hand, and leads me to a running water fountain. It urges me to lean forward. As I lean look at the water, I nearly scream at the sight of my reflection. Staring back at me is the deformed figure of Alannah._

* * *

I bolt up awake, and take in rapid breaths. I end up coughing hard, the action making my throat burn even more. My eyes cringe at the discomfort.

When my coughing fit passes, I slowly lift myself off of the slightly dirty mattress to a sitting position, and observe my surroundings. I'm in a dark room with a bolted window. I frown as I rub the tiredness from my eyes. I look down and realize that my sweater is gone, revealing my thin red spaghetti strap that reveals a bit too much cleavage than I'm comfortable with.

On cue, the door opens to reveal Pete carrying a mug with what I assume to be water. He seems surprised to see me awake. "Oh, I thought you'd still be passed out." He then shrugs, and closes the door.

He crosses to the bed, and gestures to the mug. "Want some water?" He asks.

I nod, and he passes it to me. After I take a generous gulp out of it, I sigh loudly, and glance at Pete. "How long was I out?" I inquire.

"About six hours," he replies grimly.

I can't help but wince. Damn, that's a long time. The struggle with that damned face hugger…

My eyes widen at the memory. Immediately, I whip my head to face Pete. "Did you get the face hugger off of me? Or am I infected?" I self-consciously hold my breath as I await the news.

Pete merely blinks. "No, you're not infected," he says carefully.

Inwardly, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders, but a new worry develops when the grim look on Pete's face doesn't go away. "As we were trying to get it off, the face hugger just froze, and then let go of you. It scurried away before we could kill it." He adds.

I give him a confused look. The face hugger willingly let go? That's a first; normally they didn't let go of their victims unless they were cut off, and even then that was a huge risk due to its acidic blood.

A frown passes over Pete's face. "I've never seen a face hugger act like it; it's like it was called back or something."

We stay there in silence for a few minutes as I wrap my head around the situation. Something called back the face hugger. Could my dream have something to do with it? It seems like a far-fetched idea, but I have no other explanation. I don't believe that Pete would lie to me about not being infected, so there has to have been some higher force that indirectly saved my life.

Realizing that I'm not going to get any answers, I shake my head, and rub my sore throat. The movement catches Pete's attention. "You might want to take it easy; the face hugger was holding on pretty tight." He then grimaces slightly. "It left a pretty nasty bruise. Luckily, we found a med kit in the bathroom."

I nod absentmindedly as I momentarily stare blankly into space. I shake my head once more, and glance back at Pete. "Hey, uh Pete, where's my sweater?"

The man's serious expression melts as he smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, about that, it got sprayed with some Xeno blood with I attempted to cut the face hugger off. Looks like you'll have to bare the weather with just that." He gestures to my spaghetti strap. A sly look then passes over his face. "Although, I think you should keep that look; you've got a nice bust right there."

A vein throbs on my forehead as I calmly give Pete a menacing stare. I then slowly lean towards him, and slap him hard across the face. The blow actually causes him to fall over, and he massages his sore cheek. "Oh come on!" He whines. "That was meant as a compliment!"

I snort as I mumble to myself about him being an old fart pervert. He continues to whine, so I take that chance to get out.

I walk out into an open area where Parsi is showing various equipment to a young girl. Oh, she's the one I rescued.

They notice my presence, and Parsi automatically puts the current equipment in his hand aside, and comes to me. "Sharon, you're alright!" He exclaims before he pulls me in for a hug.

I grunt as I make impact with his chest, and stand there awkwardly. I stiffly pat his back, and thankfully he pulls away. "Sharon, meet our latest recruit." He looks back at the girl.

Said person steps to him, and shyly looks at me. "I'm Esme," she says. "Pete and Parsi told me that you saved my life; thank you." She then hugs me tightly.

I grunt yet again at the second hug in just a matter of a minute, yet I return it. I can't help but feel protective of this young girl; the trauma she underwent should have never been imposed upon her, or any other children for that matter.

She squeezes my waist, and then pulls back. Tears being to shimmer in her eyes. "I lost my parents; the Xeno's took me away from them. I don't know if they're even alive looking for me, or if they're dead."

My heart curls uncomfortably. My body reacts on its own, and I gently place a hand on her cheek. "It's alright kiddo," I say in an attempt to comfort her. "You'll be safe with us."

She smiles at me gratefully, and then looks at Parsi. "We all lost someone because of this disaster; you guys are like my family now." She then grins. "Sharon is like my big sister who looks after me, Parsi is a cool older brother, and Pete is the crazy uncle that protects us all!"

My eyes soften at her innocent statement. She's right; we all lost our families, and we were each others' only companies. Eh, might as well please the girl, and let her pretend such things.

Pete steps into the room, a red handprint is visible on his left cheek. I openly smirk at the sight. "Yeah," I comment, "Pete is definitely the crazy uncle. He just can't keep his damn mouth shut."

Pete gives me an unamused look in reply, but I smile innocently.

He proceeds to a simple table in the corner, and sits down grumpily. Noticing his attitude, Esme hops over to him, and sits beside him. She then hugs him. "Why are you so sad Pete? You're the one who makes the jokes!"

The man glances at her in slight surprise, but it quickly changes to a smile. "Yeah, I suppose I do huh?" He then ruffles the kid's hair affectionately. She protests, but ends up laughing. At the same time, we all follow her action.

Esme then turns to face Parsi and I. "Come on you two! Let's play a game!" She says excitedly.

Parsi and I glance at each other, before I shrug, and we take our seats across from them. We spend the rest of the night just talking, and fooling around. I find myself smiling more and more in their company; with Esme's childish outlook on the situation, Parsi's incredibly naïve behavior, and Pete's comic relief. I'm grateful for the distraction as I don't want to remember the disturbing dream I had. I can worry about that another time. In the meantime, I have Pete's pride to destroy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_I'm back again in the hive from before. There are more of my children around, all of them huddled around me as they warily wait for my next instructions. I glance at all of them from my makeshift throne, all of them subject to my infamous glare. "I strictly ordered you to not harm them." I say tensely._

_A fairly large Warrior cautiously steps forward. "My Queen, the young cannot control their urges to reproduce. It was a simple misunderstanding." She states._

_I look at my daughter unhappily. "Yes, and it nearly cost the life of my friend. The young will have to learn to leave them alone." I then glance all around the room. "That goes for all of you."_

_A low murmur echoes in the humid room as my children accept my order. I sigh, and then gesture for the young in question. It scurries towards me hesitatingly, but I smile, and it climbs onto my lap. I hum to calm it down while petting it. "My child, I understand your urge to find hosts, but these humans are to be left alone."_

_My daughter trills in understanding, and curls into a ball. The sight brings such joy to my heart; my children are happy and strong. Any good mother would desire that in her children._

_There are other matters at hand though; I still have to unite the other hives. My children may not attack the humans, but that doesn't stand for the other hives. _

_Sensing my worries, my oldest son steps forward. "I shall protect the humans with my life, my Queen."_

_I nod in approval. "Good, my son. Follow them, and make sure that they arrive safely."_

_My son then stands up. "It will be done." He hisses softly._

I bolt awake, and gasp hard for my breath. I had the same dream again, although it was much more informative.

Movement from my side startles me, causing me to flinch. I calm down when I realize that it's Esme simply adjusting her position. She turns her back to me, and lies still. I gently brush my fingers through her hair to keep her asleep. I would have felt guilty for waking her up.

I glance around in the dark room, and see Parsi snoring softly in the corner. Pete is nowhere in sight.

As carefully as possible, I crawl out of bed, and quietly make my way to the door. With one last glance at my two sleeping partners, I exit the room. Thankfully, my eyes are already adjusted to the darkness, so I easily make my way to the barred door. I ease up the handle, and open the barrier between safety and danger. I close the door, and make sure that it's secured before stepping out into the open.

I didn't bring my gun, so I merely venture within a few feet from the door. The cool early morning air allows me to focus solely on reflecting on my dreams. It felt so real, as if I was there. What disturbed me was that the Raven was supposedly going to keep an eye on us. That can't be true; my dreams can't be visions of what is to come, or what has already happened. I have no idea what happened to Alannah, or where she is. More importantly, what the hell was up with my dreams?

I continue to pace around as I think to myself. I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't realize Pete is staring at me with an inquisitive look. "You alright Sharon?" He asks.

I jump, and look up. Pete is sitting on the roof, taking a swig of something from a dark bottle. I swallow hard, and rub my head. "I couldn't sleep; thought that some fresh air might help me out." I answer.

Pete gestures to the spot beside him. "Care to join me?"

Seeing that I have nothing better to do, I shrug, and make my way to the ladder leaning against the wall. I carefully climb up it, and walk towards Pete. I then sit down beside him, and look at the scenery. "Wow," I comment, "that's quite a view." I say in relation to the sight of Lake Ontario in the distance.

Pete hums in agreement. "It sure is," he simply says.

We spend the next few minutes staring at nature in silence. I like it though; whenever Pete isn't being a smartass pervert, his presence is actually quite comforting.

The man then offers me his bottle. "Have some of this, it'll calm you down."

I stare at the bottle in question, and then glance at Pete. He smiles. "Don't worry; it's just ginger ale."

I shrug, and then take the bottle. I lean my head back as I take a long swing from it. The added sugar rushes through me, giving me new energy. Once done, I hand the near-empty bottle back to Pete, and nod at him in thanks. "I didn't realize pop was still around after the apocalypse." I remark in an attempt to joke.

Pete shrugs carelessly. "Perhaps, but then again, I'm surprised you and I and the others are still around after all that has happened." He then looks up at the sky in thought. "It's like fate choose for us to be survivors. I was just a high school teacher before shit blew up in humanity's face. You, Parsi and Esme are merely kids."

I huff in indignation. "I'm eighteen."

Pete chuckles. "Yes, so is Parsi and look how he is. You may be legally adults, but you don't have the life experience as I do."

I roll my eyes. "You sound just like my mother." I say.

Pete turns to face me. "And she's right; you didn't survive by acting all macho, and running head first into situations."

I huff once more, but realize that he's right. Not that I act as if I'm Queen of the world, especially with the apocalypse going on. I wonder what it's like for Pete depending on two people who are barely considered adults, and a young child. Does he view us as extra baggage? Hopefully not, after all Parsi and I, and even little Esme, all put in our effort to protect each other.

Pete accommodates his position. "So Sharon, mind telling me why you're outside the safe house in the middle of the night without your gun?"

I scowl at him. "I could ask you the same thing."

Pete points to his gun. "First off, I've got my gun. Second, I'm scouting ahead to plan out today's journey." He then raises his eyebrow. "What's your excuse?"

I look at him blankly for a moment, before I sigh, and look away. "What can I say Pete? I'm messed up because of this damn apocalypse; I lost my parents, I have no idea where Alannah is, and I'm not sure that I'll even survive to see another day. Are you really surprised that I can't sleep or be all happy and full of smiles like I used to?"

I hide my face from Pete with my hair as silence takes over once more. Pete then hums in thought. "I'm not asking you to be a hero and suck it up. I'm just asking you to be more open. You're always closing yourself off; even Esme notices that."

I tense as I feel repressed emotions beginning to swirl inside of me.

Pete continues. "You went through hell Sharon; losing your parents, and then having to fight for your life is no easy task. You're a strong young woman to have been able to handle it all without even an outburst."

His words attack me like arrows hitting their target. My shoulders shake as I desperately try to keep myself together. Pete is no help though for he continues to poke at me with his emotional dagger. "You may not realize it, but I can see through your barrier. You're hurting, just like the rest of us, and it's okay. Just let it out Sharon."

The shaking gets worse as unwanted memories invade my mind. I bite my lip so hard that it actually bleeds a bit. Tenderly, Pete places one arm on my shoulders, and I give in. I hug him tightly, and cry my heart out. In this moment, I realize all of the anger, hurt, and uncertainty that I've felt for the past three weeks.

Pete doesn't mind for he rubs my back in comfort. We stay that few for a bit, Pete allowing me to let it all out. Eventually, I calm down, though I enjoy his warmth, and burrow my face in his shirt. I peek out, and see Pete smiling gently at me. "You see? Don't you feel a little bit better by letting it all out?"

A hiccup is my answer, and I look down to sniffle in somewhat privacy. Pete then pats my back, and lifts me up carefully. "Let's go back inside; it may be relatively peaceful here, but I don't want to be exposed for longer than necessary." He says.

I nod in agreement, and rub my eyes to get rid of the lingering tears. We then climb back down the ladder, and make our way to the door. Pete opens it, and goes inside first. Just as I'm about to step in, the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. I whip my head around, but see nothing. I narrow my eyes in an attempt to pierce the darkness, but that proves to be difficult.

Pete calls me in, and I do as he says, though the feeling of being watched doesn't go away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

My group and I finally leave at dawn. We want to arrive at Lake Ontario as soon as possible to increase our survival; the least amount of time we spent in Xeno territory, the more chance we have of seeing another day.

Pete doesn't approach me about my breakdown earlier, and I'm grateful for that. I don't want to make things anymore awkward than they were then, especially with Esme and Parsi around. Still, I sense a closer bond between Pete and I; I looked up to him like a guardian of sorts.

Esme skips beside me, quietly humming some unfamiliar tune to herself. It calms me down, and actually helps me focus better on our surroundings. At the same time, Parsi is attempting to exchange actually laughable jokes with Pete. "I got it!" He exclaims. "Ok, so a cop stops a teenager because he finds drugs on him. The teenager tries to get himself out of trouble by saying: 'It's not my fault the drugs keep appearing on my person after I flush it down the toilet!' The cop then says: 'So, you're saying that it's like a magic trick?' The teenager says yes, and then takes the cop to a bathroom. He flushes the drugs down the toilet, and the cop asks: 'So, where are the drugs now?' The teenager then says: 'What drugs?'"

Pete throws his head back, and laughs heartily. "Hahaha, okay that was a good one." He compliments.

I glance at Parsi, and give him a friendly smile. "Nice one Parsi." I say.

The young man meets my gaze, and blushes lightly. Esme, on the other hand, glances at each of us with a confused look. "I don't get it; the guy lied about his magic trick."

Her innocent remark causes Pete to laugh even harder, while I chuckle. "That's the joke my dear." I simply reply.

Esme looks up at me still confused, but she quickly loses interest, and goes back to skipping around. The laughter dies down, and then Pete clears his throat. "Alright, here's my go. It's a bit dirty, so Sharon you may want to cover Esme's ears."

I raise an eyebrow, though I follow his instructions.

Pete then continues. "So there's this hot blonde chick at a bar. She approaches one guy, and says: 'What's the difference between me and a mosquito? A mosquito will stop sucking after you slap it."

Parsi barks out laughter, and I smirk at Pete's joke.

"Hah, okay I didn't see that coming!" Parsi comments.

I cover Esme's eye, and mock-glare at Parsi. "Dude, watch your jokes. There's a young child in the vicinity." I pretend to scowl him.

Esme removes my hands from her eyes, and glares at me. "I'm not a kid; I'm 12!"

I merely smile, and ruffle her hair to which she attempts to fix it up. "You're the youngest of the group; that makes you the runt." I then sigh dramatically. "Sorry squirt, but you're just a baby."

If we were in a cartoon, steam would have been coming out of Esme's ear. "I AM NOT A BABY!" She all but screams.

An animalistic roar follows her outburst. Immediately, Pete, Parsi and I draw out our guns, and circle around Esme. The young girl presses herself against my leg, and hides her face in my shirt. "I'm sorry!" She says, though it's slightly muffled by my shirt.

I run a hand through her hair to try to calm her down. "It's alright kid," I reply, "just stay close to me."

Esme easily accomplishes that for she's holding onto my legs tightly.

With Pete leading the way, we carefully continue down the path. As we reach the corner, Pete presses his back against the wall, and gestures the rest of us to do the same. He then cautiously takes a peeks. Curiosity getting the best of him, Parsi whispers, "What is it?"

Pete's neck strains as he stretches his head to see comfortably without exposing too much of his body. "It's a group of Xenomorphs: they don't belong to the dominant hive." Pete comments. "There's only three of them; most likely scouts. Guess they're evaluating the dominant hive's weaknesses, and if their territory can be seized."

I can hear the low hisses, and growls of the creatures as they pace around. Pete whips his head back into cover, and grabs the supply bag from Parsi. "Hurry!" He whispers harshly. "One of them is coming this way; throw the cloaks over yourselves."

My heart beats quicker in response, and we immediately do as we're told. The Xenomorph's growl gets louder, and I hastily cover myself with the cloak. Just as it covers my toes, the Xenomorph comes into view. It's a small drone, but it's still as dangerous as the rest of its species. It walks around us on all four legs, its snout is in the air as it sniffs the area. Luckily, the cloak works, and the Drone ignores us. A call from its companions catches its attention, and it runs over to them.

I think all of us release our breaths as the danger passes. Without a second thought, I remove the cloak, and immediately regret my action. Esme shrieks as a growl comes from above me. I look up, and a dark figure tackles me to the ground. I lose hold of my gun, and instead grab hold of the Xeno's claws that are extended outwards. It hisses at me, and exposes its second jaw. I narrowly miss it as it pierces the concrete by my head. I grit my teeth, and I roll my legs inward, and kick the Drone's torso. Due to its small size, my kick has more impact, and it's thrown off of me. It twitches on the ground, before it gets up, and bares its teeth at me in anger.

Another roar catches both of our attention as the Raven from before jumps in between us, and hisses at the much small Xenomorph in warning. The Drone backs down, but once its other siblings arrive, it holds it ground. All three Drones hiss at the Raven in challenge, but the bigger Xeno doesn't tolerate their insubordination.

It stands up to its full height, and roars loudly at the three Drones. They quiver a bit at the ferocity, but they then snarl in reply while continuing to hold their ground. One of them actually launches itself at the Raven's back, causing the bigger Xenomorph to thrash around in attempts to throw it off.

It at last, falls onto its back which crushes the Drone. The Raven then gets back up, and growls at the remaining drones. They still snarl in reply, but are more cautious due to the sight of their dead sibling.

They then circle around the Raven, though they keep their distance. Tired of waiting, the Raven whips its long tail in a full 360ᵒ swing beneath the Drones' feet, causing them to trip. With them down, the Raven approaches the one to its right, and rips its head off. The remaining Drone cries out in sorrow for the death of another one of its sibling, though it turns to a whine as the Raven approaches it.

The Raven picks up the much smaller Xenomorph, and roars fiercely in its face. The Drone is obviously terrified for it shrieks, and thrashes around as it tries to escape.

Abruptly, the Raven snaps its mouth shut, and throws the Drone several meters in front of it. The small Xenomorph shrieks in pain as its arms and legs rub against the concrete. The Raven stomps the ground in front of it, and roars defiantly, commanding the enemy Xeno to never return. The Drone hurriedly picks itself up, and runs far from us.

The Raven relaxes its battle stance, and snorts in smugness. Sensing my gaze, the Raven glances at me, and then makes a head gesture that seems almost like a nod. It then turns around, and retreats into the darkness of a nearby alley. I stare at the space once occupied by the Raven in silent horror. It didn't kill me. In fact, it protected me. Does that mean that my dream was real?

I snap myself out my inner thoughts, and look at my partners. All three of them look at me in shock. Finally, Parsi manages to find his voice. "It… it saved you," he states in amazement.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

I can only blink as I take in what has happened. The Raven did save me, and it only leaves me confused. My dreams must be real then; maybe I've somehow tapped into the dominant hive mind, yet how is Alannah tied to this? Is she really some sort of xenomorph/human hybrid, and I didn't realize it?

I'm snapped back to reality by the sound of Pete's heavy footsteps as he approaches me. He kneels down, and looks me over. "Are you alright?" He asks, the concern evident in his dark eyes.

I look at him, yet it's like I'm looking past him as I struggle to focus. "Yeah," I finally say in a soft voice, "I'm fine."

Pete doesn't seem convinced, however, he doesn't press the issue. Instead, he pulls me up to my feet, and allows me to lean on him as my balance was wobbly. Once I deem myself able to walk, I step away from Pete's grasp, and stand on my own. I look over at my other partners. Parsi visibly stares at me with a combination of shock, and fascination. In that moment, it was as if he views me as a rare specimen.

On the other hand, Esme looks close to tears. "It's my fault," she says, "I shouted, and the monsters heard us."

Despite my near heart attack earlier, my eyes soften at the girl's self-guilt. I bend down to her level, and place my hands on her shoulders. I then gaze deep into her hazel eyes. "It wasn't your fault Esme; the Xenomorphs are everywhere. Nothing happened, so now we've got to focus solely on getting to safety."

A lone tear escapes from her glistening eyes, and I gently lift my cleanest finger to wipe it away. Esme smiles timidly at my action, and I return the gesture. I ruffle her hair affectionately, and surprisingly Esme doesn't try to stop me. I then stand up, and look over at Pete.

Said person is staring at me with a calculating expression. I look at his eyes, yet they are so void of emotion that I can't even guess as to what's going on in his head. I begin to get nervous as I have no idea how to react to his piercing gaze.

At last, his look slightly softens as he approaches Esme and I. He stops right by me, and then turns to face Parsi. "Seems like those military-grade cloaks you brought are not 100% fool-proof as we believed. Somehow, Sharon's scent leaked out just enough for the Drones to pick it up."

Parsi merely blinks at Pete, but then he glances at my forgotten cloak on the ground. He walks over to it, and picks it up as he studies it. It was as if a light bulb went off in his head for his eyes widened in realization. "Oh crap," he comments, "there's a rip in it." He displays the article in a position that allows us to see a long, rigged rip along its side.

I huff at my lack of luck. A simple rip nearly cost me my life; with all that has happened to me, I think God cursed me or something.

Pete eyes the object, then snorts in slight amusement. "Well, there's no use for it now. Get rid of it." He then glances over at me, and his eyes widen as if he remembered something. "On second thought, hold on to it. I believe Miss. Sharon here would like to use some of the material to cover herself." He glances at my exposed cleavage.

I glare at him icily, and that catches his attention. He merely smiles at me sheepishly, before he turns away. I huff in indignation, and stomp over to Parsi. I grab the cursed cloak, and rip out an appropriate amount before I dropped the rest to the ground. I somehow manage to tie the material around my shoulders so that it looks like a t-sweater of sorts; it was enough to cover most of my cleavage. I glare at Pete's back yet again; even in an apocalypse, men couldn't resist the sight of boobs.

I pull my gaze away as Esme tugs at my pants. "Come on!" She says. "I want to get out of here."

Realizing that she's right, Pete, Parsi and I grip our guns, and we all cautiously leave the area. We travel for about an hour before the sky darkens as rain clouds fly over us. We hurriedly try to find a safe house as the rain starts to pour on us. I'm grateful for the thick material that covers my shoulders for my spaghetti strap would have been drenched. It already shows plenty of cleavage, but I didn't need to leave anything to the men's imagination. Pete was a downright pervert, and while Parsi was sweet, he still was a guy.

Luckily, we found an old warehouse, and quickly got inside. It was dark, and the air was chilly but at least it was dry. I step to the side, and squeeze the water out of my hair. Well, at least the grease-like nature of it would go away now. Wish I have shampoo though.

Esme has fun stepping around as her soaked boots make a squirting sound. She giggles as she has fun, and I can't help but smile at her carefree nature. It sort of makes me wish to be a kid again.

Parsi is kneeling on the ground as he takes out necessary supplies out of our main bag. Pete approaches me with a serious look. "Sharon, mind helping me with something?" He asks quietly.

I raise an eyebrow at him, though my gut twists uncomfortably. Nevertheless, I nod, and follow Pete to a more isolated part of the warehouse. It has privacy, but we still can see Parsi and Esme.

Pete turns to face me. "I'm not going to lie, but I'm worried about your wellbeing." He starts. "Ever since I've met you, you've always been in danger."

I narrow my eyes at his statement. "What, are you suggesting that I purposely put myself in these situations?" I remark.

The serious look on Pete's face softens as he shakes his head. "No Sharon, I'm not suggesting that. However, you've been under a lot of unusual situations. First off, that face hugger pulled back. No face hugger that I've seen has ever done that."

I glare at the ground as I avoid his gaze. "I got lucky; it lost its interest in me."

Pete places two fingers under my chin, and forces me to look at him. "Bullshit," he simply says. "I don't how or why it let go, but something called it back. Then, there was the Raven who at one point almost killed you, yet saved your life. What's going on Sharon?"

I sneer at him. "I don't fucking know! It's not like I've got telepathic powers and am able to communicate with them."

Pete raises an eyebrow at my outburst, but doesn't make any comment. Oh crap, does he actually think that I'm communicating with them? There were my dreams, but there's no way in hell I'm telling Pete about them, especially when he's accusing me of somehow interacting with the Xenomorphs.

I roughly pull his fingers away from my chin, and glare at Pete with all of my might. "I don't know what you're trying to get at, but my main goal is to get out of here alive. I don't know where the Xenomorphs have been acting unusual around me, nor do I really care to know. We've in an apocalypse; I suggest you focusing on helping us survive instead of going about wild speculations."

With that, I walk past him towards the opposite end. I sit down on the floor, and rub my temples. This day is just too much for me.

I'm prevented from venturing into dark thoughts by Esme who skips over to me. She holds out a piece of bread, and offers it to me. "You hungry?" She asks sweetly.

I nod, and she gives me the piece. I take a bite, and chew slowly to savor it as it removes the bile-like taste in my mouth. My stomach protests, but calms down as the food enters it. Esme sits down beside me, and stares at the specks of mud on her boots. "Sharon, have you ever liked a guy?" She asks shyly.

I raise an eyebrow in interest at her question. "Sure I have. What's this about?"

Esme blushes, and turns her face away to try to hide it. I slightly smirk in amusement.

Esme bites her lips. "Well, there's this guy I like. He's funny, sweet, and is always protecting those he cares about. The only thing is, I don't think he likes me back."

"Why's that?" I say as I adjust my position to get a better look at her.

Esme's face tilts down as she gazes at the ground sadly. "For one, I think I'm too young for him. Second, he always chats more with this other girl. I think he likes her."

I realize that Esme's gaze lifts up, so I follow her line of sight. My eyes widen in surprise at who I see. I then turn my head to face the young girl. "You like Parsi?" I ask.

Esme whips her face which is red as a tomato. "Quiet, he'll hear you!" She whispers harshly.

I can't help but grin at her confession. Truthfully, I found the possibility of them being a couple cute, despite the six year age difference.

I slightly slouch, and hum in thought. "Well, he's only eighteen, and you're twelve?" I say.

"Thirteen," Esme corrects. "My birthday was a month ago."

I stare at her in surprise once again. "How come you told us you were twelve then?" I ask.

The girl shrugs carelessly as she draws herself into a ball. "I suppose it's because I wanted to keep an illusion of how I was before the Xenos arrived." A few strands of her hair cover her eyes from my view. "It's stupid, I know, but whatever."

I merely pull her hair back, and tuck it behind her ear. She glances at me curiously. I smile. "Okay then, so there's a five year difference between you two. Big deal; that was the age difference between my parents." I say to try to lift her hopes up.

Apparently it works a bit as she sits up straighter. "Really?" She asks.

I nod my head in confirmation. "Yep." I then glance back at Parsi who's busy talking with Pete. "What makes you think that he doesn't like you?"

Esme grumbles to herself. "Because I caught him staring at your boobs a few times."

I feel my face heat up at her comment. Okay then, talk about awkward. On a side note, I have to kick Parsi' ass as he's not as pure as I originally thought he was.

I cough as I try to formulate my next words. "Well, umm, he's a guy. Guys have different needs than women." I rub my head uncomfortably, and then sigh. "Look Esme, if you're worried about me liking him back, don't be. I just see him as a friend."

Esme's shoulders slightly rise up, but she's still hesitant.

I wrap my arm around her, and drag her close to me. She automatically hugs me. I rub her shoulders in comfort. "Give him some time; don't make assumptions just because of what you see. You should talk with him more; get to know him, and see what interests you have in common."

Esme looks up at me. "Do you think it'll work?"

I shrug. "Honestly, I don't know. But you've got nothing to lose, so it's worth a try." I advise as I smile at her.

She returns the gesture, and I can feel her spirits brightening again. "Thanks Sharon," she says before she leans into me, and closes her eyes.

I run my fingers through her hair, and hold her close. I eventually doze off into a blissful state.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_I observe my children in silent curiosity as they move about, each doing their own duties. The Drones are caring for the eggs, as the Warriors stand guard at the hive entrance. I can't help but smile at the high activity of my hive. I've never felt this accomplished before. Still, I miss my friend; we've been through so much in such a short time. I wish I could see her, but the situation is too complicated now._

_The arrival of my sole son brings me out of my thoughts. I focus my attention on him, and eye his minor wounds in slight concern. "What happened?" I ask._

_My son bows low in respect, and lifts his scarred face to meet my gaze. "We have enemies at our borders; three Drones were sent to observe the area. I also ran into the human group I have sworn to protect, hence my wounds."_

_My eyes narrow at the news of a possibly invasion. It's also mixed with a sense of relief; my son protected my friend and her companions. _

_The rest of my children tense at the idea of having a rival hive venturing at our borders. I close my eyes to try to calm the hive mind that is currently bristling with frantic thoughts from my children. _

_I open my eyes, and look around the room. My children freeze in their actions as they wait for my command. I slowly stand up, and inconspicuously take a deep breath. "I want double patrols around our borders. From now on, at least two Warriors are to accompany Drones on their patrols. We cannot allow the enemy to steal our territory."_

_My children hiss at the implication. I send them off, and they all return to their duties. I step down, and touch the wound on my son's shoulder. He tenses slightly. _

_"You should rest; that wound may be minor but it's bleeding quite a bit." I say._

_My son cocks his head back. "Shall I continue to follow the humans when I am well?" He asks._

_I nod my head. "Yes, keep them safe."_

* * *

I'm startled awake yet again. This is what, the third dream I've had with Xenomorphs? Gosh, just what the hell was happening to me?

A quiet moan draws my attention downwards. I see Esme clinging to my shirt, her face muzzles against it. I carefully lift her head up, and place it gently against my bag that's leaning against the wall. She stirs a bit, but remains asleep. I then stand up, and stretch my incredibly stiff back. I also kick my legs to bring back the blood flow.

I look around the vast room, and see Parsi and Pete sleeping in their respective corners. I quietly tiptoe towards the stairs, and climb up slowly. I cringe as the rusted steps creak loudly, the echoes do nothing to help me. Still, I make it to the top, and head for my destination. I stop in front of the one window that wasn't barred, and stare outside.

It was still raining, though not as hard as when we got here. I open the window a bit, and breathe in deeply at the fresh scent of rain. Despite our circumstance, I felt calm, and strangely numb. I stare out at the dreary landscape, yet my eyes don't focus on it.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupts in my chest, and it has me clutching it. I gasp out in surprise, and fall to my feet. Violent coughs soon plague me, and each one has me heaving for air. I cover my mouth with my hands, and feel something wet splatter on them as I cough. I hold my hands out, and my eyes widen at the sight. Blood covers each of them. _What the hell is going on_?

Another violent cough has me crashing to the ground in a fetal position. I groan as I feel something wiggle in my rib cage. My heart beats faster as a terrifying thought comes to mind. _I'm infected_.

An audible crack pierces through the silence, and brings even more pain. I can't hold back a scream as the embryo struggles to get out. I keep on screaming and thrashing on the ground. I cry out for my partners, hoping that one of them would show me mercy and kill me.

The pain becomes too excruciating, and I welcome the dark abyss with open arms.

* * *

_I have fully healed, and am now catching up to my human subjects. I swore to my Queen that I would protect them, and I intend on fulfilling that wish. _

_I snort in dislike as the rain diluted the scents of the air, rendering my senses weaker. For once I curse my large frame as it prevents me from seeking shelter in the strange flower-like structures that the humans have stationed along some of their buildings' entrances. _

_Despite the weather, I press on. I stop in the middle of a large opening on the road, and raise my snort upwards. I inhale deeply, and hiss in pleasure as I manage to catch the scent of the humans. I stretch my legs back, and shoot forwards. For a large creature, my speed can rival that of even a Drone. No wonder humans always attacked my kind in large groups, and only with their heavy weapons._

_I continue on for a few blocks until the humans' scent becomes increasingly stronger. I stand before a warehouse. On its upper level, I can vaguely make out the figure of the human female as she glances out of the window. Luckily, it seems she hasn't spotted me yet. _

I sniff the air once more, and instantly freeze at the new scent mixed in. _I growl, and hurriedly make my way towards the building. I jump to the wall, and climb in through the open window. I sniff the air, and notice the human female thrashing about on the ground. I hiss as I sense the presence of an embryo within her. I must bring this human to the hive before it escapes from her chest cavity._

_I squeeze my large frame inside, and drop down heavily beside the female. I hiss at her chest, and the embryo within her stops struggling. I then carefully pick up the female, and am about to climb out of the window when the female's two male companions run over to us. _

_The larger male brings his weapon up. "Get away from her!" He yells._

_He fires a shot, though I ignore it. Instead, I merely sweep my tail under their feet which causes them to fall over. With one last warning hiss, I jump out of the window, and hurriedly carry the human female to the hive. My Queen will know what to do. _


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_I'm startled awake as I hear my son's plea for help through the hive mind. Something wasn't right; he never calls for help, especially not from me specifically. _

_I focus on the hive mind, and expand my view through my son's senses. The surroundings pass by in a blur as he runs like his life depends on it. "Not my life," he corrects._

_The view switches downwards as my son shows the unconscious figure in his arms. Shock fills me as I see my dear friend covered in blood; it is then that I hear the conscious of another._

_I can't help but hiss sharply in disbelief. It's not possible; how did she become impregnated? _

_Frantic thoughts swirl in my head, and I struggle to compose myself. My dear friend was carrying an embryo, and it seems ready to be birthed at any moment. There's only one way to save my friend._

_I urge my son to move faster, and I scramble to the birthing chamber. I quickly secrete a sufficient amount life-sustaining jelly, and place it into a pot of sorts. I then prepare a bench for my friend, and sit down on the side. I'm restless as I wait for my son to arrive with my friend. From what I saw through him, the embryo had already began to struggle inside her. The birth will occur at any moment; I can only hope that we're not too late. _

* * *

I swear loudly as the damn Xeno jumps out of the window with Sharon in its deadly arms. I run over to the window, and look out of it. I see the Raven land effortlessly onto the ground, and take off towards a small park. I yell out in frustration, and then whip my head to Parsi who looks at a loss of what to do.

I fast walk to him, and drag him along with me. "We've got to get Sharon back," I state.

Parsi looks at me in horror. "How? We don't know where she's being taken, and there's only the two of us, along with Esme." He says.

I look at him with a fierce glare. "Haven't you realized that we've been stalked by the dominant hive for the past few days? They've got Sharon, and it's only a matter of time before they take the rest of us." I pause to take in a deep breath to calm myself, and then speak again in a softer tone. "With that damn Raven following our every move, we're not going to make it to the lake alive. We've got to find the hive so that we can take them out once and for all."

A hesitant look comes across Parsi's young-looking face. "And if we don't succeed?"

His question unleashes a series of emotions within me, though I push them aside. I ignore his remark, and instead drag him down the stairs. Esme is waiting at the bottom, and is looking at us in worry. "What's going on?" She asks. "Where's Sharon?"

Parsi and I reach the bottom. I let go of him, and latch onto Esme's sleeve. I order Parsi to pack up our belongings, and then guide Esme outside. The girl struggles to break free from my grip, and I let got. I turn to face her, and she crosses her arm defiantly. "What's going on? Why are we leaving?" She asks.

At that moment, Parsi comes out with our stuff, and hands each of us our respective belongings. I secure my sack on my shoulders, and take out my shotgun. I then look down at the girl who's looking at us in confusion. Her eyes narrow as she sees Parsi armed with Sharon's AK-47. "Why do you have Sharon's gun; where is she?" She then glares at me. "Answer me!"

I meet her gaze, and attempt to come up with an explanation that wouldn't scare her. That, however, is proving to be difficult. I cough, and look away. "Sharon was taken by the Xenos. We're going to get her back." I finally say.

Esme's eyes widen like saucers as she takes in the news. "What?!" She screams. "Why did they take her?"

"I don't know," I answer truthfully, "but I intend on getting her back."

A look of determination comes on the girl's face. "I'm coming with you," she says firmly.

At that, I shake my head. "No," I say. "As a matter of fact, I'm going alone."

Both Esme and Parsi stare at me in shock. "What?!" They scream at the same time.

I cringe at the volume of their voices, but calmly reply. "This is too dangerous for me to risk your lives."

Esme's fists curl into tight balls. "We can take care of ourselves!" She states.

I snort humorlessly. "Right kid, you're barely out of your training bra, and you want to hunt the monsters? I don't think so." Esme's face turns red as she glares at me definitely. I ignore her reaction, and then face Parsi. "I'm leaving you in charge; protect Esme, and keep on heading for the lake."

"I'm not leaving you behind Pete," Parsi answers.

I give him a stern look. "I'm not asking nicely; this is a direct order."

"What are we, in the military?" Esme comments bitterly.

I glance down at the girl who crosses her arms, and stares into the distance with furrowed eyes. I sigh, and drop to my knees to come to her eye level. The girl turns to face me. I place my hands on her shoulder, and rub in comfort. "Esme, do you think Sharon could ever live with herself knowing that you got hurt or died because of her?"

Esme's hard gaze softens slightly. I continue to crack her defenses. "The great lake is our one hope for survival; you and Parsi need to go on ahead to ensure that a boat stays for us. In the meantime, I'll rescue Sharon and bring her back to us." I lift one hand to Esme' head, and ruffle her hair gently. "I'll bring her back; I promise."

The girl's hard façade shatters completely, and is replaced with a sad girl whose hope has been replenished slightly. "You guys better come back," she says softly.

I nod, and hug her. She wraps her small arms around me, and squeezes. I let go, and stand up to my full height. Parsi steps behind Esme, and places his hands on her shoulders as I did. The girl looks up at him, and blushes ever so slightly. I raise an eyebrow as I observe her reaction.

A distant roar catches all of our attention, and we snap back to reality. My grip on my shotgun tightens, and my eyes narrow. "You two need to leave, now!" I say.

Parsi and Esme both look at me once last time, before they hurriedly make their way in the opposite direction.

I press forwards, and make my way towards the source of the noise. It seemed close enough, so hopefully the Raven will come into view.

I walk through the Park, and an opening appears up ahead. I make my way towards it, and step out. I'm now in a pathway of sorts, though there is no sort of life in sight. I initially doubt my ability to track, but then a low growl comes from below. I walk over to the edge where it reveals a metro line. I barely see the dark form of the Raven as it rushes inside.

My eyes narrow as I spot the target. "Come on you son of a bitch," I mutter to myself, "lead me to your home." I climb down carefully, and jump down just in front of the opening. I stand up, and observe the dark abyss momentarily before I cautiously step into the dark tunnel.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_I bolt up as my son comes in with my semi-unconscious friend in his arms. I gesture to the bench, and immediately my son gently sets the woman down. I place a clawed hand on her forehead, and am startled by how hot the skin is. This isn't good. Also, her pulse is incredibly quick. I must act quickly._

_I open my friend's mouth, and force her to swallow some of the life-sustaining jelly. That way, my secretion would immediately begin to heal her internal injuries. Next, I swiftly rip off the front section of her thin shirt, and wipe some of the jelly on her exposed chest. It's already bruising; the embryo continues with its struggle even after I command it to stop. I snarl at its insubordination. If it won't obey me, then I must kill it when it comes out._

_I climb over my friend's body, and position my head to be right over her chest. I inflict a small cut on my finger, and allow the small drops of blood to fall on the exposed skin. Immediately, the flesh corrodes, and begins to melt into its layers. At last, her ribcage is exposed, and I can see visible fractures on it. Through the openings, part of the embryo is shown as it wiggles around, causing more pressure against the surrounding bones and tissue. I snarl, and snap my inner jaw at it in warning. The embryo shrieks in panic, and begins to thrash about even harder._

_By now, my friend's low groans get louder as her ribs audibly crack one by one. My own heart beats sound like pounding drums in my ear, and all I can focus on is her open chest cavity. I make a clean cut along her ribcage with my tail, and easily yank it off. Instantly, the embryo within shoots out, and my friend screams bloody Mary before she abruptly goes quiet. I cringe at her reaction, but I keep my attention on the embryo as I catch it. It shrieks loudly, and continues to struggle within my strong hold. I study its figure, and narrow my eyes when I realize that it is a young queen. _

_With one final hiss, I crack the embryo's neck and it goes quiet. I give the body one last glance, before I throw it carelessly to the side. One of my youngest children eagerly runs to it, and starts playing with the body. Well, at least it can provide a form of entertainment for my children._

_Remembering what I did, I look back at my friend, and my blood turns to ice as she lies still on the bench motionlessly. I peak into her chest cavity, and see that her heart stopped beating. _

_I shriek in panic, and immediately pour more secretion on her major wound. The tissue and bones begin to mend, but her heart still isn't moving. Desperately, I take it in my hands, and begin massaging it. _Please, start beating!_ I think to myself._

_After a minute of massaging, her heart still won't start. Frustrated, I screech and punch her heart. Miraculously, the organ begins beating, and I sigh in relief._

_With her heart working again, I continue my task of closing up the wound one layer at a time. At last, her skin weaves together again, though there is an awful scar on it. Luckily for my friend though, she survived. _

_I take a moment to calm down as my adrenalin rush wears off. This encounter was way too close; I express my relief in the hive mind of my son's rescuing of her. He answers back soothingly, and I find the strength to look at my friend._

_She's breathing rather haggardly, though that should be expected after what she has gone through. Her face is incredibly pale, and I frown in concern. In fact, her whole upper body was pale, and incredibly thin. These were signs of malnutrition. _

_I open my friend's mouth again, and I place my own open mouth over hers. I cough out some nutrient paste, and help my friend to swallow it without choking. When I see the bulb go down her throat, I hum in satisfaction, and call for one of my Drones._

_My daughter comes up to me, and looks at me expectantly. _

_"Bring me some water from the river," I say softly._

_My daughter nods in understanding, and quickly zooms to fulfil my request. _

_I sigh once more, and sit down beside my sleeping friend. I gently take one of her cold hands, and rub it not for her sake, but for mine. This is the first time I've seen her in… I honestly don't know. My last memory with her is very vague; it almost seems like a whole other lifetime ago. _

_As I continue to rub her hand, my thoughts swirl with endless questions. How did she get impregnated when I ordered my child to release her before it was too late? Even more disturbing was that her embryo was a queen. Queen implanters never ventured out of their mother's protection, and as far as I know, my friend was never exposed to a full hive. So how did she get impregnated with a queen?_

_I shake my head at the numerous questions. I have no answers, and quite frankly I'm not sure I'll ever get them. It doesn't matter for the moment. My friend is alive, and I have quite an explanation to give her once she awakens._

* * *

I swear loudly as I once again trip over some overturn concrete. My flashlight is pretty much useless in the dominating darkness, and I'm getting incredibly pissed. I also have no idea where the Raven went, so my search almost seems like in vain.

I step momentarily to wrap up my thoughts under control. _No Pete, you swore to get Sharon back, and that's what you're gonna do_.

With my new resolve, I continue my way down the dark track. I absentmindedly begin humming an old tune to try to calm my wits. I would never admit it, but I'm scared shitless. I'm more than aware that my plan is incredibly stupid, and will most likely get me killed. Still, after observing the dominant hive's unusual behavior the last few days, I figure that I may as well risk it to see if they would react to me the same way they reacted to Sharon.

A couple of minutes pass by in silence before a bloodcurdling scream cuts through it like a hot knife on butter. I tense up automatically as I try to pinpoint the location of the noise. "Sharon, Sharon?!" I yell even though it would reveal my whereabouts to patrolling Xenos. "Come on Sharon, where are you girl?" I slightly whine.

Just as quickly as it came, the scream stops abruptly and it has me fearing the worst. _My God, did the Xenos actually kill her_?

Hoping that isn't true, I run blindly to where I thought I heard the scream. "Sharon, talk to me girl!" I yell again.

This time, I'm replied with various hisses, and screeches.

Sweat pours down my neck as I look around me blindly. _Dammit, I can't see anything! _

The animalistic sounds get louder, and suddenly I'm pounced on from behind. I grunt as I hit the floor, though I quickly get up, and aim my gun forward. "Come and get me bitches!" I shout out.

I fire a few rounds in a circle as I hope that at least one bullet meets a target. A surprised shriek gives me my answer, and I can't help but smirk in smug satisfaction. My confidence, however, drops as my flashlight reveals several Warriors staring me down.

My heart beats madly as I take in the intimidating sight. Just when I think things can't get any worse, a low growl comes from behind me.

Slowly, I turn my head to face backwards, and come face to face with the big Xeno. It exposes it frightening teeth and curls its mouth outwards in a mock of a smile. My eyes widen as I realize that this is my end.

The Xeno roars at my face, causing its saliva to splatter me, though that's the least of my worries. It pounces on me, and I'm screaming as it aims its barbed tail at me. The last thing I see is the Warriors surround us, hissing in excitement before I look up and my world goes black.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

My heart pounds madly in my chest as I zoom past the scenery with Esme behind me. I keep a strong grip on her thin wrist to ensure that we wouldn't be separated. Tears of frustration swell in my eyes, causing my vision to become blurred. I harshly wipe at them with my free hand, and keep on running.

After we split up from Pete, Esme and I were chased by at least three Xenos. I commend myself for bringing Sharon's gun as it saved our lives. However, I'm not about to take any chances by stopping in the open plain.

Coughing forces me to look behind me. Esme's face is slightly red, and her coughing suggests that she's struggling to breathe properly. She looks at me with clouded eyes. "Parsi, I can't run any further," she states.

I grit my teeth as I try to decide on what to do. Pete ordered me to take Esme to safety, and I intend on doing just that. It's just that I don't know if I can go through with this order.

I feel Esme's weight drop as she trips. I catch her before she hits the ground, and pick her up bridal style. She shrieks and wraps her hands around my neck tightly. I continue to run towards the lake, though I feel my own energy beginning to fail. _I have to make it_! I tell myself.

I urge my tiring muscles to hold on for the rest of the distance. I can hear the sounds of small waves crashing along the coast, and a rush of adrenalin courses through my veins. With newfound speed, I run like a marathon participant across the remaining distance, and jump over the small ledge. My speed causes Esme and I to skid a few meters along the beach before we finally come to a halt.

For a moment, I wonder if we're dead, but the feeling of cold water brushing against my bare legs reassures me that I'm very much alive. I turn my head to face Esme, though her back faces me. She's incredibly still, and I fear the worst, but the continuous rise and fall of her chest has me sighing in relief.

I get up wobbly, and look around. The beach is deserted aside from the occasional wildlife that were brave enough to come out. On the other side of the beach, I can see one medium sized boat rafted on shore with what appeared to be some armed individuals protecting it. My eyes widen at the sight. _It's got to be the military!_

I drop down, and shove Esme excitedly. The girl groans as she stretches her properly sore muscles. Yeah, the landing wasn't exactly smooth.

I lift the girl up to her feet, and allow her to lean her weight on mine as she regained her balance. Once she was good, I point at the direction of the boat. "There's a boat there, and I'm betting it's military." Esme's hazel eyes light up like a Christmas tree. She's just as excited about the news as I am.

I then gently take her hand in mine, and rub it in reassurance. "Come on, we've got to secure that boat so that it doesn't leave before Sharon and Pete come back."

I notice Esme look at our intertwined hands with a soft expression, before she glances up at me. "Do you really think they'll come back?" She asks quietly.

I caress her cheek with one hand, and smile genuinely. "Absolutely," I simply say.

My answer gives the girl hope as she stands up straighter, and she squeezes my hand. We both look at the outline of the beach, and then back at each other. I nod in reassurance, and we both run once more.

I can't help but feel exhilarated at the pursuit of the boat; the scenery is amazing, and my soul feels like it's being freed.

I allow myself to laugh in this rare moment of inspiration. I hear Esme laugh too, so I glance down at her and see her smiling at me with a powerful emotion swirling in her eyes. For some reason, it causes my heart to beat slightly quicker as I take in her appearance.

It's only now that I realize how pretty she is; with her short maroon hair, her brilliant eyes, and her overall cute demeanor. I smile at her as I feel at peace.

I then look back at our target, and howl in excitement. Safety was only a few yards away; nothing would stop us now.

* * *

The first sensation I feel is an overwhelming numbness. My skin feels cold, and it's like all of my joints are rusted. There is an incredible soreness, however, over my chest. It's like a whole team of football players tackled me to the ground, and squeezed my lungs together. Each breath left me feeling even sorer, and I wonder if I have any broken ribs.

Slowly, my senses begin to recover, and I soon hear a low murmur in the background. I can't tell what the words say, but it's obvious from the tone of the voices that the conversation is actually an argument.

Eventually, I manage to make out some of the words. "She's barely aware of her surroundings; leave so that she can rest." A soft, yet stern voice says.

"She's my friend too! I have a right to know how she's doing," a male voice demands.

Who are they? Where am I? What happened?

Suddenly, I feel a warm, rough hand press against my chest, and rubs it in soothing circles. A low hum sounds in my throat, and the hand stops its movement, but then continues.

I feel a warm breath against my cheek. I then hear some shuffling followed by a displeased hiss and some swearing.

"Let me go see her!" The male voice demands once more.

After some struggling, I hear heavy footsteps stop right by me.

"Sharon?" The masculine voice asks softly. "Come on girl, open your eyes."

An annoyed snort answers him. "She's not going to just do what you tell her. She's completely out of it."

The two voices start bickering once more, but I pay no attention to them. Instead, I focus on trying to open my eyes. That's easier said than done as each eye lid feels like they weigh a hundred pounds each. Still, I try.

At last, I feel like my eyes have enough strength, so I open them. The vision is blurry, but I can right away recognize the feminine figure that's leaning over me with a concerned expression on her face. Alannah.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Author's note: I will be posting Chapter 15 within a few hours after this chapter's release. Stay tuned.  
**

_Shortly after the procedure with my friend, I send my son along with a few of my daughters to investigate the tunnels. I sense the presence of an armed human, and I don't want to take any risks with my friend still recovering._

_I look at the sleeping female, and press a hand on her forehead. The skin is cold, and I frown in concern. _I better give her some more nutrient secretion when she wakes up to prevent a fever.

_I sigh as I rub my temples. Man, I never thought becoming Queen would have so much drama involved. _

_I look up as my children return from their scouting duty. My son comes in last, carrying an unconscious human over his broad shoulders. He steps in the middle of the small room, and drops the human onto the ground. I kneel down, and turn the human onto its back. I recognize him as one of the dark-haired companions of my friend. I check his neck, and nod in satisfaction when I hear a strong pulse. _

_I get up, and look at my son. "I hope you didn't scare him too much," I mock-scorn._

_My son smiles, revealing his rows of daggers. "Heh, I may have made him expel some feces."_

_I laugh briefly in pure amusement, and then look back at the unconscious human. "Let's get him comforted. We don't want him shitting his pants anymore."_

_My son picks up the human male, and carries him over to a separate room. In the meantime, one of my daughters returns with the water I asked for, and gives it to me in a pot-like object. I rub her domed-head affectionately, and she purrs in contentment._

_I send her away to rest, and I bring the pot of water over to my friend. I set it down beside her, and dip in a cloth from her shredded shirt, and wipe it over her chest. The slightly dried blood and residue drips off, leaving a trial of colors blending together. I continue to clean her until her chest is free of any mess. Her large scar is more prominent, but it will heal with time._

_ I put away the materials, and caress my friend's cheek. I just hope that she can accept was has happened to me without judgment. Maybe she can even stay with me._

_I snort, and shake my head._ Forget it; her goal is to go to where human survivors are. Yours is to protect and raise your hive.

_I sigh once more, my heart heavy with an impending sadness. I really don't want to be separated from her once more, but I won't force her to stay simply for my sake when the time comes._

_Wanting a distraction from my negative thoughts, I stand up with the half-empty pot of water, and make my way to where the human male is resting. I arrive at the dark room, and lie down beside him. His breathing is quick which suggests that his dreams are not pleasant at all. I can't help but chuckle at the thought of my son scaring the living daylights out of this human. _

_I take a closer look at his face, and can't help but find him attractive. He has curly, dark brown hair, a prominent nose; overall, a nice masculine-looking face. _

_I absentmindedly purr as I stare at him. He would make a good mate._

_A frown comes upon his face as he groans in discomfort. Humming in thought, I lean my face close to his, and press a gentle kiss on his lips. That seems to calm him for the frown relaxes into a semi-smile. I like the look on his face, so I kiss him again, this time slightly longer. The man starts to mumble incoherently as I continue to kiss him on his lips, before moving to his irresistible neck. _

_I'm surprised at my actions as I've never felt this attracted to anyone, especially when I first met someone. I guess this is what it means to feel "love at first sight", though I'm reluctant to call it love. _

_My display of affections eventually rouses the man awake. His equally dark eyes widen in surprise as they spot me. "Whoa, am I dreaming?" He asks incredulously. "If so, then don't wake up me."_

_I smile as I rub my cheek against his. "This can be whatever you want," I reply breathlessly._

_The man moans when I press my body flat against his. I allow my instincts to take over as I begin to unbutton the man's shirt. When his chest is exposed, I run my hands all over, teasing him with my sharp nails. The man's breathing quickens with my actions, and I purr as arousal causes me to shudder. Yes, this man was the one. _

_As I'm about to unbuckle on his belt, the man snaps out of his haze, and catches my hands with his. I look at up him questioningly._

_He breathes hard as he stares at me. "Okay, this is obviously not a dream," he states. _

_I cock my head back. "Why does this need to be a dream for you to mate with me?" I ask._

_The man's eyes widen like saucers, and he tries to scurry back, but ends up hitting the wall. He looks behind him, and hisses in disbelief before he turns his sweating face back to me._

_In turn, I lean forward so that our noses were barely touching. "Why do you try to run from me?" I ask slightly offended._

_The man's sight focuses on our noses, before he looks up at me. He swallows hard. "Look miss, you're beautiful and all, but I have to find my friend."_

_I stare at him in boredom. "You mean the human female?" I confirm._

_The male looks at me with hope. "Wait, you mean Sharon is here? Where is she?" His body tenses to jump up, but then he halts. A look of confusion then passes over his face. "Why did you call her 'human female'? You're human too!" _

_I chuckle lowly as I step back into the dim light that shines through the entrance. The man audibly gasps as he takes in the sight of my diminishing human form. "What the hell are you?" He asks harshly._

_I growl as I try not to be offended by his tone. Instead, I cross my arms, and stare at him blankly. "I'm a human female, sort of. I'm part Xenomorph as well." I reply._

_A dumbfounded look is plastered on the man's face. "How?" He squeaks. "Are you the result of an experiment or something?"_

_I shake my head. "No, I was pure human before my transformation. I believe my friend has told you about me."_

_Recognition fills the man's dark eyes. "You mean **you're** Sharon's friend?"_

_I nod as I smile softly. "Yes." I confirm. I momentarily hesitate before I continue. "I suppose I should tell you what happened when we got separated."_

_The man nods as he looks at me in expectation, but also in interest. _

_I sit down to be comfortable, and then stare blankly at the floor. "Sharon and I stumbled upon a Xeno nest when we were trying to reach the metro. It looked abandoned; there were no guards whatsoever protecting the nest. We tried retracing our steps, but then a Praetorian came out of nowhere. It chased us throughout the nest, when Sharon throw a Molotov at it." I smile with pride at the memory. "It hit its intended target, but the Praetorian managed to extinguish the flames by jumping into a nearby river. Needless to say, it was furious when it came out." I sigh as I hug my legs, and rest my chin on my knees._

_After being quiet for so long, the man chuckles softly. "So that's why the Praetorian looked so hell-bent on killing her." He comments. _

_I look up at him in surprise. "That's how you met her?" I ask._

_The man nods. "Yeah, she was trapped in front of a safe-house with the Praetorian just meters away from her. I saved her life that day." He replies._

_I smile at him in gratitude. "Thank you for saving her." I say._

_The man's face flushes as he rubs his head. "Yeah, no biggie." _

_I giggle at his bashfulness. The man cocks his head at my behavior. I merely smile. "Just because I don't look 100% human doesn't mean that I don't feel what you can." I justify._

_He throws his hands up in surrender. "Now now, no need to get sensitive. It's not every day that one wakes up with a hot half alien/half human chick kissing them." At his last remark, he turns away to avoid looking at my face._

_I smirk at his obvious shyness of his statement. I crawl over to him, and purr audibly. "If you want, you can wake up like that every day." I say suggestively._

_The male's eyes widen, and his mouth opens and closes as he tries to formulate words. "I, umm, err…" _

_I smile at him in amusement. _

_He coughs awkwardly, and avoids looking into my eyes. "So what happened to you when you got separated?" He asks._

_Disappointment from his lack of interest fills me, but I know that I have to tell him the whole story. I suppress the need to sigh, and lean back onto my behind. "The next thing I remember is waking up back in the nest with a sore throat, and one hell of a headache." _

_The male glances at me with wide eyes. "You were impregnated?" He asks._

_I briefly laugh humorlessly as I lose myself to my memories. "I was," I say. "Naturally, I panicked, and I fell deeper into the nest. I ended up being covered in this thick goo, and since then, I've noticed the transformation occurring. My senses heightened, my skin became thicker, and suddenly numerous voices began whispering in my head."_

_A snort comes from the male, and I glance at him. His mouth is covered by his hand, and I realize in annoyance that he's trying not to laugh. He probably envisioned me as the crazy woman who hears voices in her head. _

_Luckily, he has the courtesy to look embarrassed. He then coughs. "Umm, please continue." He says. _

_I huff inwardly, but I do as he says. "As time passed, I realized that it was the hive mind I was hearing. They saved me from starvation, and I learned more about them. They had no Queen; she was killed by a rival hive. They then made me their new mother." I smile softly at the thought of my children. "Because of my transformation, the embryo within me never developed, and here I am." I raise my hands up for dramatization._

_A few moments go by in silence as the man takes in my story. I anxiously wait for any reaction from him, but the stubborn male's face is frustratingly blank. _

_After what feels like an eternity, the man whistles in disbelief. "Wow," he comments, "that's quite the story."_

_I shuffle nervously from limb to limb. "Yeah, I guess so."_

_I can feel the male's gaze on me as I overanalyze the details of the concrete floor. To my surprise, the man presses his fingers under my chin, and forces me to look at him. A soft expression blesses his face, and I'm tempted to kiss him again. _

_Hs dark eyes swirl like onyx as he continues to stare at me. "What's your name?" He asks quietly._

_I take in a sharp breath. "My name is Alannah," I say._

_A gentle smile adorns his face. "That's a beautiful name; I'm Pete." He replies._

_I purr at his comment, and stand up. I then offer him my hand. "Come, you want to see Sharon don't you?" I ask._

_He glances at me, then at my hand before he finally accepts it. I effortlessly pull him up, and then guide him out of the room._

_A few of my smaller children are outside as they sniff curiously at the male. He gets nervous, and presses against me for protection. I push down the want to jump him, and hiss gently at my children to let him be. They move back, though their gazes continue to follow us as we move along. _

_With my children out of view, the man slightly relaxes. "Hey Alannah, I'm not going to become a host or lunch, right?"_

_I glance at his wide eyes, and smile. I then place my hand on his cheek. "Of course not; your taste is reserved only for me."_

_His horrified facial expression makes me laugh, and we arrive at the birthing chamber. We step inside, and I lead Pete to the bench where Sharon is still resting. The male quickly runs up to her, and starts examining her. He then looks back at me. "She's still alive, right?" He asks._

_I nod, and he sighs in relief. He then looks back at Sharon, and cocks his head back abruptly. He stands up, and takes a few steps back. I raise an eyebrow at his comportment. _

_Pete meets my gaze, and he looks away. He then coughs as he shifts his weight on both legs. I follow his line of sight, and realize that he's trying to avoid looking at Sharon's bare chest. I smirk at him in amusement. "What, you've never seen a naked woman before?"_

_The man looks at me with a slight blush, before he quickly turns away. "Of course I have! It's just that if Sharon knew that I saw her half naked, she'd kick my ass to next month, and serve it on a silver platter," he says nervously._

_I chuckle as I imagine the scenario in my head. That would be very amusing to watch._

_I decide to tease the man more. "Well, I wouldn't mind having a piece of that sweet ass of yours," I comment innocently._

_That causes Pete to whip his head to my direction. He stares at me in shock, and I merely wink._

A barely audible groan brings both of our attention to the sleeping female. If I wasn't paying close attention to her, I would not see the tiny twitches in her fingers.

Pete steps forward to glance over her, and a protective urge fills me. "Stay back; you don't want to startle her awake." I say.

The man looks up at me, but promptly ignores me. Rage starts to develop inside me; no one ignores my orders!

I grab a hold of Pete's arm, and yank him back. "I gave you an order; stay back from my friend." I whisper harshly as I try not to wake up Sharon.

The man narrows his eyes at me. "I'm not leaving until she wakes up." He replies.

Another, more audible moan escapes my friend's parted lips. I glare at Pete fiercely. "She's barely aware of her surroundings; leave so that she can rest." I say in a soft, but stern tone.

The male stubbornly refuses to give in. "She's my friend too! I have a right to know how she's doing," he demands.

I hiss at him in warning, before I focus my attention on Sharon. A slight frown is plastered on her face, so I rub her chest to sooth her. A hum develops in the back of her throat, and I freeze. Satisfied that she isn't yet awake, I continue my gesture, and purr quietly.

Wanting to get close to her, Pete steps around me, and leans over Sharon on her other side. I hiss in displeasure, and smack him with my tail. That causes him to swear, and glare at me which I meet evenly.

He pulls his gaze away to look at Sharon. "Sharon?" He asks softly. "Come on girl, open your eyes."

I can't help but snort at his antics. "She's not going to just do what you tell her. She's completely out of it."

Pete looks up, and glares at me slightly. I glare in return, and we start to bicker until we catch movement from the corner of our eyes.

I turn my head in the direction, and I can see Sharon's eyelids flutter madly. I lean over her face, and am met with the welcomed sight of her chocolate eyes meeting my own.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Author's note: I won't be posting the next chapter until after the madness of the holidays. Until then, Merry Christmas, and a big thank you to all of my readers!**

The longer I stare at Alannah, the more my vision begins to improve. The blur eventually clears to show me Alannah's familiar face. I manage to crack a smile, and lift my hand up. She takes it, and rubs it against her cheek. I feel vibrations against my hand, and I realize that Alannah is purring. _What a weird reaction_, I think to myself.

A cough comes from the side, and I turn my head to face the other way. Pete is standing there with an almost embarrassed look, though mixed with relief. I notice that he avoids looking at me, and I wonder why.

I look down and see the reason behind his unusual behavior. My chest is bare, and there's quite an ugly scar across it.

Forgetting my embarrassment, I switch my gaze between Alannah and Pete. "What happened?" I ask hoarsely.

Alannah rubs my hand in comfort as she looks at me. "You were impregnated," she said rather bluntly.

My eyes widen as the memories from earlier attacked my mind, and left me feeling dizzy.

Oblivious to my reaction, Alannah continues. "My son brought you back here, and I removed the embryo from you."

I look up at Alannah in confusion. "Your son?" I ask.

My friend nods, and she stands up. For the first time, I get a good look at her transformed figure. I can't hold back my sharp gasp as I take in her appearance. She looks half human/half Xeno; exactly like how I saw her in my dreams.

Alannah squirms under my gaze, though she meets my questioning gaze. She offers me a small smile that doesn't quite meet her eyes.

"What happened to you?" I ask quietly.

Alannah sighs, and sits on the ground beside me. "It might come as a shock," she warns before she starts her story.

* * *

I sit up staring at Alannah blankly as I take in what she tells me. Her story seems like make-belief, but she's not the type of person to make these kind of things up.

Eventually, her story ends, and I'm left processing all that she has told me. Her very appearance proves her truth, though it still seems like another dream.

Finally, I close my eyes, and rub my temples. What have we gotten ourselves into?

Alannah takes my hands in hers, and gives me a concerned look. "Are you alright Sharon?" She asks.

I nod. "Yeah, just feeling a bit sore," I reply as I slowly swing my legs over. I wince as my ribs protested at the movement.

Immediately, Pete leans me against him, and carefully pulls me up. My legs wobble under my weight, and I momentarily feel nauseous. When the feeling goes away, I stand on my own, and cross my arms to somewhat cover my breasts. "Can I have my shirt back?" I inquire.

A sheepish look comes across Alannah's face. "Your shirt is history, and I don't have anything else to cover you with."

"She can have my shirt. It's a bit big, but at least it'll cover her upper half." Pete offers.

I turn my head to thank him, but then cock my head back at Pete's disheveled appearance. "Uh Pete, why is your shirt wide open?"

Automatically, Pete whips his head at me, and a fierce blush forms on his face. His reaction only confuses me even more.

Alannah steps close to him, and gives him a flirtatious smile. "That's just the result of us getting acquainted." She says teasingly.

I look at both of them for an explanation, but Pete is too embarrassed to look at either of us, and it seems like Alannah is going to laugh at any moment. I shake my head, and dismiss their weird behavior.

Remembering his offer, Pete removes his unbuttoned shirt, and hands it over to me while discreetly looking away. I take it, and cover myself with the dirt-stained shirt. I button it all the way up, and feel relieved as I'm no longer bare.

I hum in satisfaction, and look at Alannah. "What now?" I ask.

Pete looks at Alannah as well in curiosity for her answer. She glances at both of us, before gesturing her head towards the exit. "Let's get you two affiliated with my hive," she says.

Pete and I look at each other uneasily, before we nod in agreement. Alannah turns around, and walks over to the exit. Pete and I follow her through the dark corridor, looking all around us out of habit. Alannah may be this hive's new Queen, but Pete and I are not ready to put our full trust in her "children" just yet.

We arrive in an open chamber where several Xenomorphs stop what they're doing to look at us. They sniff at us curiously as they're probably wondering why their "mother" is walking around with two humans.

Pete is visibly wary of them as he steps closer to Alannah, yet I feel calm. Deep down, I feel like the Xenomorphs wouldn't hurt me even without Alannah protecting us.

Alannah steps onto a throne-like structure, and sits down. She turns to her left, and hisses softly. I merely blink at her Xenomorph-like behavior; it's hard seeing your good friend slowly lose her humanity.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by the arrival of the Raven. It stomps its way towards us, and I surprise everyone, including myself, by hissing at him for submission. The Raven cocks its head at me in confusion, before it growls in reply.

Alannah snaps to gain our attention, and I merely blink rapidly. _What the hell was that about?_ I ask myself.

I look at my companions to see both of them regarding me with mixed emotions; Pete's eyes are bulged completely wide, and Alannah's expression is that of displeasure, yet also nervousness. I can only blink as I meet their piercing looks. What can I tell them? I don't know what compelled that behavior in the first place.

An awkward silence passes before the Raven faces Alannah. "_My Queen, what are we to do with these humans? They don't belong with us,_" he says.

Alannah stares at him calmly. "_They are to rest until they are strong enough to decide what to do. However, they are more than welcomed to stay with us should they choose to. Is that understood?_" She says sternly.

For such an aggressive creature, the Raven looks sheepishly at Alannah, before it bows in respect. "_Of course my Queen,_" the Raven replies. He then glances at me. "_I'm amazed that a human like her survived the birthing process. She has very little meat on her._"

I narrow my eyes, and huff at his remark of me. "I'm not completely helpless ya know! I managed to kill many of your kind before I joined up with Pete." I shout.

Both Alannah and the Raven cock their heads back in surprise while Pete stands there looking confused.

The Raven is the first to recover. "_She understood me! How is that possible?_" He then growls at me in warning.

I bare my teeth at him in challenge. "Oh I don't know, maybe it's because you're speaking English you fucking idiot." I say through my teeth.

The Raven and I continue to size each other up before a loud screech from Alannah has us cowering in slight fear.

"Silence!" She screeches.

Pete is the brave one to interrupt the uneasy silence. "Umm Sharon, all I heard were growls and hisses." He comments.

I look over at him, and am met with his hard stare. Confusion fills me with his statement. If what he said is indeed true, then how was I able to understand their conversation?

Alannah clears her throat, and I look back at her. "It seems like you have caught onto our language," she states. She then narrows her eyes as she studies me. "Have you been experiencing any unusual symptoms lately?" She inquires.

I realize that every being in the room is staring at me as they wait for my answer. My stomach gets the butterflies with all of the attention, but I retain my calm. "For the past few days, I've been getting these weird...'visions' you could say." I start.

That peaks Alannah's interest for her eyebrows shoot up. "Visions?" She asks. "What kind exactly?"

At the mention of my "visions", all of the Xenomorphs in the room sit around us as I recall the strange dreams I've had about them. Pete cocks an eyebrow while Alannah looks at me with an unreadable expression. She regards me as if trying to decipher the hidden implication behind my dreams.

I finish my story, and Alannah hums in thought. "Somehow, you became connected with the hive mind, hence your 'visions' and understanding of our language. However, I don't know how this happened. You were never exposed to any royal jelly."

I shrug, and look around me. I can hear the individual thoughts of the Xenomorphs as they observe me. Most of them were curious, although a few of them showed minor hostility as they wondered if I would try to overthrow Alannah from the throne.

I snort at the ridiculous thought, and turn to face Alannah. She's staring at me tensely, and it takes me by surprise. "Is everything alright Alannah?" I ask.

She rouses from her thoughts, and snorts as she turns away. I feel a bit hurt at her attitude, but then Pete comes over, and puts his hand on my shoulder. I look over at him to see a gentle smile on his face. "Don't worry too much Sharon; right now we should rest, YOU specifically." He then looks back at Alannah who is busy answering various questions from her children.

She then glances back at us. "You may stay with us to recover for as long as you need. Should you choose to leave, then speak with my son; he will escort you to the nearest safe room." Alannah excuses herself, and then stands up. She gives me a small smile, before she leaves the room.

The Xenos go back to work, and I'm left staring at where Alannah went out. Just what was happening to my friend?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Author's note: Merry post-Christmas! Hope you all had a magnificent day. As promised, here is the next chapter. I will go back to updating my story once daily. Enjoy!**

We reach the boat, panting hard as we regain our breaths. The armed men automatically raise their guns at us as one of them step forward. "Who are you?" He asks roughly.

After a short coughing session, I straighten my posture. "My name is Parsi, and this here is Esme." I reply as I point to the girl who waves shyly. "We were originally a group of four survivors, but one of us got captured by xenos, and our leader went after her."

Whom I assume to be the man in charge raises a thick eyebrow in slight disbelief. "Your leader went after your captured friend? That's suicide, even for a squad of marines." He comments.

I narrow my eyes at him. "We don't leave anyone behind," I say firmly.

Esme steps beside me. "Yeah!" She agrees. "Sharon is our friend, and we're gonna get her back!"

The man looks down at her, and blinks at her. I suppose he's not used to be talked back to by a girl. I have to bite my cheeks to prevent myself from laughing.

A frown passes over his face as he lifts his head to face me again. "Chances are both of your friends will get impregnated." He says bluntly.

"No they won't!" Esme blurts out.

The man snorts at Esme's comment. "Girl, you've obviously not seen enough of this disaster to know what the xenos do." He then regards us both suspiciously. "Speaking of, I'm going to need to do a scan to make sure neither of you are infected."

He signals one of his men who steps forward with a scanner. The younger man scans me first, the device producing a loud beep sound when it's done.

"Clear," the man says.

He then turns to Esme, and scans her too. She stares at the device curiously, but then becomes nervous when a more nagging sound comes from it. The younger, obviously less experience soldier, stares at Esme in shock, but also pity. "She's infected," he states.

The older man's eyes narrow. "Leave her behind; you on the other hand can come with us." He directs at me.

Esme screams at the thought of being abandoned, but I step in front of her. "I'm not going anywhere without her." I say tensely.

The older man rolls his eyes in annoyance. "Boy, did someone suck out your brains? She's infected, and she's gonna die." He says.

I glare at him fiercely. "None of this would have happened if you and the rest of your colleagues didn't experiment on the xenomorphs! Did you really think you could have kept them captive forever?" I spit at them.

The man sneers at my statement, before he composes himself. "Fine then; if you want to die out here, then be my guest."

Just as he's about to signal his men to leave, the one with the scanner stops him. "Sir wait! There's something strange about the scan." He says.

The leader looks at him in minor annoyance. "What is it?" he asks.

"I don't know sir," he replies. "The scan indicates that a xeno embryo is inside her, but it's showing no activity whatsoever."

The man in charge looks at the other one in confusion. "What are you saying?"

The younger man stares back just as confused. "It seems that the embryo is...dead." He finishes.

All of us look at the soldier in shock. I'm confused; Sharon checked Esme when she first found her and said that she was clean. Maybe it was because the embryo was dead, just like the soldier said. However, how did it die inside of her?

The leader is obviously pondering over similar things as I am. He then meets my gaze, his cold grey eyes seemingly staring into my very soul. He then signals his men who tense up. "Where did you say your friend was taken?" He asks softly as his men draw their guns at us once more.

* * *

It's a rather weird experience observing the xenomorphs closely without the need to kill them. For the most part, they left Pete and I alone, though a few of the more braver ones came close as they sniffed us in curiosity. Pete even pet one, the sight had me literally rolling on the floor with laughter when the tiny Drone jumped me like a dog. Needless to say, Pete became more aware of what signals he gave to the xenomorphs.

Some of the higher ranking xenomorphs purposely ignore me, yet there are a few who visibly show hostility towards me. I'm still confused as to why they think I could, or would, steal Alannah's power over them. As far as I know, I'm still a human being who happens to have some form of telekinetic abilities.

Alannah has been purposely avoiding me for the past few hours since we've stayed here. It hurt me, and I can't believe that she too questioned my loyalty to her. I'm a human being for god's sake! I wasn't exposed to royal jelly like she was to say that I could change as well. Despite that, she along with her older children still regard me warily.

I sigh as I rub my forehead absentmindedly. I catch Pete coming to me from the corner of my left eye. I raise an eyebrow at him. He waves at me in greeting. "Hey there, you okay?" He inquires.

I shrug as I stare out blankly. "Not really," I answer honestly. "I find my friend, only to discover that she's changed into some human/alien hybrid, and she's purposely ignoring me. Then, I develop some abilities of my own. Now, I have no idea whether I want to stay with Alannah and her hive, or go back with you and the others to humankind."

I'm slightly startled as Pete places a comforting hand on my shoulder. I look up to meet his brown eyes. "Whatever decision you make, you'll have my full support." He says. "However, you need to realize that Alannah has changed, and I'm still not sure if it's for the better or for the worse. In any event, be prepared that you may never be fully accepted into her hive for the same reason she's purposely ignoring you."

I stare at him without uttering a word for a few minutes, before I exhale and look away. Pete's right, and I right away know what my decision is.

I look back up, and give him a weak smile. "You're right," I start, "I don't belong here."

A soft expression comes across Pete's face, and then he hugs me gently. I return the gesture, before I pull back, and stretch my cramped muscles. "Well, let's go tell Alannah." I say.

Pete nods in agreement, and together we go towards the queen's chamber. It was full of xenos as always. I see Alannah sitting on her make-shift throne, busily tickling the stomach of one of her younger "children". Despite being hurt by her deliberate ignoring of me, I can't help but smile at her motherly affection.

Pete and I step into the center, and he coughs to get her attention. Alannah looks up from her lap, and looks at us curiously. "Yes?" She says.

Inwardly, I glare at her lack of manners, but retain my neutrality. "Pete and I have decided to get back to our group. Lord knows they're probably worried sick about us." I answer.

An unreadable expression passes over Alannah's face as she ingests my statement. She then sighs, and nods her head. "I figured as much; this isn't exactly a place for humans." She then smiles sadly.

Confusion fills me with her reaction. I thought that she'd be relieved with my departure. Is she experiencing some sort of xeno PMS behavior?

Alannah meets my gaze, and smiles softly. My jaw must have dropped for she blinks at me rapidly. What the hell?

Everyone's attention is diverted to the side as Alannah's scouting party come back, many of them severely injured. I can feel the atmosphere tense up as the hive wonders what has happened.

"What's going on?" Alannah asks.

The Raven hisses in pain as he clutches his bleeding side. "The hive is under attack; enemies unlike any that I have ever seen before are pressing forward." He replies.

I whip my head to face Alannah who's trembling with barely controlled rage. "Prepare for battle! Leave no survivors." She growls mightily.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The entire hive is a in a buzz of surprisingly organized activity. The Drones relocate the eggs to a safer location, while the Warriors and five Praetorians set up defensive positions both in the queen's chamber and in the various tunnels leading into the room. Pete and I stay close to Alannah as we don't want to accidentally get trampled on by any xeno. The atmosphere is tense, and the hive is clearly agitated.

I glance at my friend who's obviously trying to keep order in both her hive and her inner self. Pete takes out his shotgun that was given back to him, and it has me yearning for my beloved AK-47.

To make up for the lack of firepower, a Warrior gives me an ancient-looking spear before it hurries off to help its siblings. I stare at the object in curiosity, examining the elegant markings on it. There's a button in the middle, and I press it. It cuts through the air quickly as the spear elongates to nearly three times its original size. After my momentarily surprise, I twirl the surprisingly weight-less weapon around. It's impressive, and I'm sure it will deliver substantial damage.

A growl catches my attention and I turn my face to face Alannah. A crest of sorts lowers over her face like a medieval knight's helmet. The black substance that covered her womanly parts expanded to engulf all of her natural skin. Her claws on both her hands and her feet extended as her legs get more muscular. All in all, if I didn't know that this creature is Alannah, I would have assumed that she was merely another xenomorph.

My transformed friend stands up to her full height, and steps down from her throne. Not knowing what else to do, Pete and I follow her down and look at her expectantly. Pfft, figures that we humans would fall under the command of a hybrid queen.

Alannah whips her head to face us, and hisses softly. "You'll stay here with some of my Warriors as a decoy to lure the enemy here," she addresses to me. I nod in acknowledgement. She then faces Pete. "Since you're talented with that shotgun of yours, you'll be going into the tunnels with my son and some Warriors to draw the enemy into the queen's chamber. As for me, I'll be sneaking around the back to finish them off while you attack them from the front." A snarl appears on her mouth, and I'm disturbed by how identical it looks to the xenomorphs. "I will not allow my hive to bow down to any enemy. I'll rip out their queen's heart before I allow that to happen!"

I visibly wince at her foreign lust for blood. This Alannah is too different from the one I knew. Sadness then fills me at the thought of my friend losing her humanity. It then turns into fear as I wonder whether sooner or later Alannah would use even me as a host for her children.

The once injured Raven limps over to us and growls softly. "_I am ready, my Queen_," it says.

Alannah nods in reply, and caresses the Raven's smooth head. The creature purrs in contentment, before Alannah drops her hand, err paw, to look at us. "You better get going Pete; I can smell the enemy already." She states.

Pete nods in understanding, and is about to move out when Alannah steps in front of him. "Wait," she starts. Her crest-like helmet opens up to reveal her face as she rests her clawed hands on Pete's bare chest. She then presses her lips to his, leaving me shocked at her actions. _Whoa whoa whoa, since_ _when were they so familiar with each other?_

It's obviously that Pete is taken aback as well for his dark eyes widen almost comically. Alannah pulls back, and smiles at him before her face is hidden once more beneath her crest. "See you on the other side," she says.

Pete snaps himself out of his daze that seems to affect every male that I've known whenever a chick, or half-alien/half-human, kisses them. He nods again, though a playful smirk teases at the corner of his lips. "Just don't expect me to save you; I like it when the ladies can kick some ass."

Alannah smiles widely, revealing all of her sharp teeth. "Oh believe me, I can handle myself." She replies.

Pete cocks an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm not worried about you," he says as he winks.

I stand there staring at them blankly as they flirt with one another. Annoyed with the lack of action, I cough loudly which catches both of their attention. "Sorry to interrupt your flirting session, but there are enemies at your borders," I look at Alannah specifically as I talk.

I can't see her facial expression behind the crest, but her body language portrays her embarrassment. Pete looks at me blankly, though there's a slight blush on his tanned face. I roll my eyes at both of them, and gesture them to move. "Move along now children," I comment.

They glance at each other one last time, before they go their own ways, Pete followed by the Raven and several Warriors. I stay behind with a few Warriors as Alannah instructed me to. I stand in the middle, pacing restlessly as I wonder on who, or what, the enemy is. I hate waiting around, but I know that my "team" will provide the important attack once Pete and Alannah lead the enemy here. Still, it doesn't calm me, and even the Warriors with me are on edge, their tails twitching randomly. Despite their restlessness, they remain focused on the main opening.

To keep myself occupied, I practice some moves with my new spear, enjoying the fact that it makes me seem like a hunter. My actions, however, seem to put some of the Warriors more on edge than they are about the impending fight. I stop my maneuvers, and cock my head at the Warriors in question. "Is there something wrong?" I ask.

The Warrior closest to me bares its teeth in malcontent. "_Spear comes from hunters; hunters kill our kind as sport_," it replies.

I blink at its simple explanation. "What hunters? And if it bothers you so much, why did Alannah have it?"

The Warriors seems almost impatient at having to answer my questions. "_Hunters are beings from the stars; they have hunted our kind since the beginning." _It then snarls at the spear. "_Don't know why mother kept it; perhaps to remind her of our greatest enemy._"

I nod as I accept its answer.

Our attention is then drawn towards the entrance as distant gunfire along with growling can be heard. The Warriors all hiss in unison, and I find myself joining them.

I point my spear out in front of me, and focus on the area. The fight will reach us soon.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Author's note: I won't be posting any chapters on December 31st and January 1st. I will resume on January 2nd. Happy New Year! **

To say that I'm nervous is the understatement of the year; I'm fucking scared. I'm more worried that the xenomorphs "accompanying" me, specifically the Raven, will ram their tails up my ass when I least suspect it. I glance at the Raven that walks beside me. Even after all of my close encounters with it, I still can't get over its intimidating nature. Hell, I think I deserve a metal for not being dead yet.

The Raven realizes that I'm staring at it, and leans its face close enough that I can smell its rotten breath. I resist the urge to plug my nose, and instead look away. This is just another reminder of how dangerous the xenomorphs are, even if they are a on a momentary fast of human flesh.

I shake my head, and purposely lengthen the distance between me and **them**. I could of sworn I heard a quiet chuckle coming from behind me; smug bastard.

I decide to ignore the xenomorphs teasing of me, and end up losing myself in my thoughts. The last couple of hours have been so bizarre that half of the time I wondered if I was dreaming. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that I'd work cooperatively with xenos to face a common enemy. Well, I suppose the saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap has some truth to it.

There's also the fact that Alannah has an "interest" in me. Most of the time I stayed close to Sharon out of slight fear that Alannah would have jumped me when we were alone. Now don't get me wrong, I like a good time just like any other guy, but when a human/alien hybrid wants to rape you that totally changes the scenario.

I shudder from the implication, which earns me a not-so-gentle slap to the back of my head. I swear, and look behind me as I rub my sore head. The xenos purposely ignore my gaze, though as I turn to face the front I can hear their barely suppressed laughter. Wow, xenos laughing? Now that's a first.

I look back to sneer at the bitches, but the Raven steps up to me, and takes a strong hold of my shoulders. It opens its mouth widely, and a guttural sound forms deep in its throat. "M… mo… mooo…vvv..e…. fasss….ter," it says in its broken English.

I stand there like an idiot as I blink at the Raven. Now the xenos can talk too?

Obviously impatient, (or more like acting like an ass), the Raven adjusts my position so that I face the front, and kicks me several feet forward. The landing is not at all soft, and I grunt at the impact. I get up as the Warriors laugh their asses off, more of them actually fell from the ceiling and wiggled around the Raven.

I flip them the bird, not caring at all whether or not they understood its implication. I push myself up, and glare at the xenos. "Ha ha," I mock-laugh dryly. "For xenomorphs, you're definitely not sneaky. We've got an enemy around here, remember?"

That automatically shuts them up, and what can pass as an annoyed sneer appears on the Raven's face. It hisses at the others, and they all go back to how I know them best: camouflaging with the darkness, and not making a sound. If I didn't know that they are with me, I would have assumed that there was not a soul in the tunnel.

Satisfied that the xeno jokers were now serious, we proceed down the dark tunnel cautiously. My eyes manage to adjust to the incredible lack of light, and I'm able to keep pace with the Raven. We arrive at an intersection of sorts, and look all around. I look up at the Raven who meets my gaze.

"We should split up; divide the Warriors into two groups to search the side tunnels, while you and I will go down this one," I suggest as I point to the tunnel in front of us.

Surprisingly, the Raven nods in agreement, and hisses at the Warriors. Without a word, err I mean without any animalistic sound, the Warriors divide themselves and go to their designated places.

On cue, the Raven and I press forward into the abyss. I light up the area with my flashlight, but it's not at all strong enough to reveal much. I rely on the Raven's heightened senses to guide us through the tunnel.

We arrive at the opening from where I came from. The sun is setting just beyond the horizon, the sound of crickets already buzzing with life. I wipe away the sweat from my forehead, and am about to turn away when I notice a slight distortion at the entrance. I squint my eyes to focus clearly, and am met with the not-so viewable sight of a figure staring back at us. What catches my attention is the blood that drips off of its projection, and burns the ground it lands on.

"Hey uh buddy, this enemy of yours; does it happen to be about six feet tall, extremely muscular, and is fricken invisible?" I ask as I nudge the Raven.

The Raven grunts as it turns to face what I'm staring at. It abruptly freezes in its track, and bares its teeth in warning. From its reaction, this is definitely what attacked it.

I aim my gun at the invisible blur which continues to just stand there observing us. "So, I'll take point, and you go in and nail its ass?" I joke.

The Raven only growls lowly, before it takes off, and stomps towards the figure. It crashes out in the open, and I wonder if it actually tackled the thing.

Suddenly, three red lasers aim at me, and I hear the powering up of a weapon. _Oh shit_.

I barely avoid getting my head blown off, as I drop flat against the ground. I pant hard as I reach for my gun, and start shooting at the area. The bullets seem to deflect off of the figure, and it lifts me up by my throat.

Jesus Christ, I'm at least a full two inches taller than this guy, yet he's holding me up as if I'm weightless.

A roar comes from behind, and we're both tackled to the ground. I moan as I feel a bruise starting to come on, though I suck it up and reach once more for my gun. I look up, and see the Raven and the figure circling each other. The Raven hisses at it, and whips its tail around dangerously, while its figure regards it calmly.

It then takes out something that extends to three times its length. My eyes bulge from their sockets at the sight. _Holy crap, that thing looks like it can deal a lot of damage_.

Apparently, the Raven thinks so too for it snarls at the weapon, and is more cautious with its maneuvers.

Tired of waiting, the figure halts in its track and charges at the Raven. The big xeno roars in challenge, and meets the enemy head on. The real fight has begun.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_I growl in discontent as I bump my head against the ceiling yet again. I allowed myself to grow taller in the safety of privacy; I didn't want to freak out Sharon and that sexy human male any more than I already had. As a result, I now tower over even my son; now at fifteen feet, I was the right height for my head to have multiple dates with the ceiling._

_I slouch slightly to avoid banging my head; even with my thick carapace-like helmet, the rattling unnerves me like crazy. _

_I snort absentmindedly, and sniff the air. I can smell my children all around, along with my two human companions. I proceed forward, all the while putting my snout to the test. Beneath my helmet, my nose flares in irritation as the smell of human waste reaches it. _Ugh, thank the mother that xeno metabolism uses up all that we intake.

_I continue my trek down the dark tunnel, occasionally reporting/checking in on my children through the hive mind. It's sort of like how a salvage team would communicate with each other using walkie talkies, however, my hive's form of communication is much more unique and advanced._

_My xeno vision scans through the walls, and I can see my son and Pete standing at the entrance. I can't help but look down to appreciate the fine posterior of the human male. I smile a very toothy grin, typically signature of a xenomorph. My grin, however, melts away as I catch a foreign scent through the hive mind. My son sniffed it first, and I can clearly see his agitated form while Pete aims his gun at the front. _

_From this distance, I can't see what it is that has both males on guard, but through my son's vision, I can see the outline of a hunter. I bare my teeth in anger at the sight. How dare it enter my territory and threaten my children? Whatever its reasons are, it will die tonight._

_My son and I then attack the being, though Pete is easily overpowered. Poor human, so weak and defenseless. He's lucky that my son is there to protect him, yet I now worry for him. He came into the queen's chamber badly wounded by this being. My son is the most powerful out of all my children, so for him to be affected significantly gives off quite the impression of this hunter. _

_My son then challenges the being head-on who resists the advances with surprising strength. Holy queen mother, this being isn't like any ordinary hunter. And if my son's nose can be trusted to be 100% fool-proof, its scent was different as well. It's like… unnatural._

_I let out a loud roar, and literally burst through the walls like a newborn chest-buster from its host's chest. The being looks at me, while Pete looks at me in awe and murmurs "holy crap". The being stretches its arm outward, and a miniature holographic screen pops up. I realize that I'm being scanned as a ding-like sound rings in the tense atmosphere, and a green light blinks repeatedly. "Xenomorph target acquired," it states in a monotonous voice._

_Okay, this is definitely not a hunter, yet it looks like one minus the extreme tallness. Just what is this thing?_

_My son uses the distraction to his advantage and throws the being to the ground with the force from his massive claws. The being struggles to get back up, but I come in and stab it through its shoulder and the concrete beneath him._

_I'm a bit surprised when it doesn't cry out in pain, or even yelp. Geesh, was this guy on steroids or something? However, milky-like white blood gushes out of the wound. I cock my head back in confusion. Whoa, **this **is new. It doesn't have the typical green blood of the hunters, or even red blood to say that it's a really pumped up human._

_I growl in both warning and slight fear of this creature. It ignores me, and promptly rips out my tail from itself. I stumble back from the force, before I shriek at it in surprise. My son extends his second mouth, ready to pierce through the being's skull._

_Pete comes over to me, and aims his gun at the being. It seemingly pretends that we're not there, and releases the control of its invisibility. _

_"What the fuck?" Pete comments._

_I silently concur with his statement as I take in the hideous sight before me. It definitely does not appear at all like a hunter. Its skin is completely metallic with a big hole from where my tail stabbed through. Its "fingers" are more like serrated claws that has me suspecting that they are the weapons that injured my son. The only similarity it shares with the hunters is its impression array of weapons, from a long electric staff, to a small pistol. What has me horrified the most is its face. It looks like a freakish combination of organic flesh mixed with cybernetics. All in all, it's a face that only a severely drunk mother could love._

_The "cyborg" lifts its hand from the uninjured side and it morphs into a viscous-like state. It then presses it against the wound, and it fills in, essentially sealing it shut. Once it's done, it finally looks at us with its creepy glowing blue eyes. It momentarily glances at Pete and my son, before it fixes its intense gaze on me. _

_Despite being a living weapon, shivers run through me aggressively. My instincts are screaming that I must kill this creature, but after seeing a bit of its abilities, I doubt that I can accomplish the task, even with help from my children._

_The cyborg then stretches its arm outwards again towards me. I only have a second to realize what's happening, before a projectile is sent flying towards me. My cry is caught up short as my spiked back hits solid ground, and I groan in discomfort. I try to move, but my body is incapacitated by a thick net. I screech in pain as the net tightens, causing miniature pools of my blood to fall onto the ground. Despite its acidity, it doesn't even leave a burn on the net. I growl at the implication that I'm essentially trapped, though I stop moving. There's no use; I'm now a prisoner._

_I look around me, and see Pete shooting short controlled bursts at the being before he gets thrown to the wall opposite me and lays still. From my position, I can't tell if the human is simply out cold, or worse is dead. I reassure myself that I only wish for him to be alive because I find him amusing, not because I actually cared for him._

_I'm pulled back to reality as the cyborg faces my son. He's baring his teeth and swinging his tail around violently, however I can tell that he's scared for not just his life, but also for mine. I try to reassure him, but I feel my grasp on consciousness rapidly slipping. _

_I barely register the panicked roar from my son, nor the explosion that rockets the area, and seals the main entrance shut. My vision blurs as the outline of the cyborg steps towards me. It stops by my feet, and activates its holographic thingy once more. "Xenomorph target captured; returning to base," its monotonous voice states._

_I hiss weakly at the being as it kneels down to ensure that I'm physically alright before it literally picks me up, and carries me like a sack of potato._

_I'm horrified that my acidic blood doesn't corrode its alloy covering. _Who, or what, designed this thing? _I wonder both in horror, and also slight admiration for the creator's skill. _

_I use my remaining strength to enter the hive mind. I can hear the panicked cries of my younger children, while the older ones swear vengeance for me. Desperate, I implant my status into Sharon's mind just before I succumb to the dominating darkness. _


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"Let me out of here!" I shout for the millionth time as I rattle the tough bars of my cell. By now my throat is sore, though I refuse to calm down given my situation.

I was forced to tell the soldiers the location of the warehouse where Sharon was taken when the man in charge ordered his men to line their shots at us. Normally I wouldn't have given a damn, but Esme is just a girl; I refuse to put her in harm's way.

Only adding to my intense loathing and distrust of the military, they grabbed Esme who screamed, and I snapped. I ended up tackling the soldier to the ground, and gave him quite a few punches before I was pulled away from him. I only saw red as I lashed out at the other men, before I was hit by a gun to the face.

I woke up an hour ago, and have been trying to get out ever since. Of course, my persistent yelling and rattling of the bars only brings unwanted attention from the soldiers assigned to guard me. I couldn't care less about them, and only stop my attempts when one of them hits me yet again with the butt of his gun.

I groan as I rub my sore nose that surprisingly isn't bleeding from the full force. I then glare at the accused who merely stares back at me blankly. Pfft, typical soldiers. I hope a horde of xenos rip them to shreds.

I gingerly get up, and lean against the bar. "You've got a lack of manners; the least you could have done was tell me to shut the hell up." I comment.

The dark-haired soldier seems to ignore me before he directs his dark eyes to face mine. "Shut the hell up," he says monotonously after a moment of staring at me.

A vein throbs on my forehead as I stare back at the bastard in annoyance. I grit my teeth, and glare at him. "You're a fucking asshole, you know that?" I remark.

Again, the soldier maintains his composure at my outburst. "And you're a prisoner now, so shut the hell up," he retorts back.

If the guy wasn't such an ass, I would have laughed at his comeback. Instead, I drop my jaw, and step back. I don't remain stunned for long, however, and I go back to glaring at him. "How rich coming from the ones responsible for the end of the world," I start. "You think that you're all fine and mighty just because you've got special training and a few fancy guns. Yeah well fuck you! You and your big ass egos fucked up our world. Your stupid scientists couldn't control the xenomorphs, and you guys couldn't contain them. Thanks a lot General Dumbass," I finish with a mock salute.

The soldier remains quiet, however, I could swear that a hint of remorse flicked in his otherwise emotionless eyes. I huff in indignation, and then move further into my cell where I sit down on the cold ground. I rub my forehead as if soothing an oncoming headache, and I end up staring at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing that I've ever seen.

Shuffling catches my attention from outside my cell. I look up and see the dark-haired soldier slide down the bars of my cell, and sit there silently with his back towards me. I dare not to move for I don't want to spook the soldier's comfortableness in moving closer to me.

Eventually, the soldier looks up at the ceiling as if lost in thought. "I didn't want to become a soldier," he starts off quietly. "My dream was to become a digital illustrator for a gaming company. I was quite the gamer as a teenager." He then chuckles slightly.

I remain quiet to allow the soldier to continue with his openness.

"That plan went to hell though," he continues bitterly. "My mom was diagnosed with leukemia, but my family had no money for the treatment. My dad then forced me to join the military when I turned eighteen, and well, here I am."

After another pause, I carefully decide to speak. "What happened to your mom?" I asked hesitantly.

The soldier's back tenses, and I'm worried that he'll reprimand me for asking such a personal question. Even worse, he'll probably close up again, and I'll have no chance for getting through to him.

My worries are short lived though, for the soldier replies. "She got the treatment, but by then the xenomorph outbreak erupted, and the hospitals were one of the first places heavily hit."

I cringe at the awful timing of the apocalypse. "Sorry to hear," I say.

The soldier snorts as he laugh humorlessly. "Yeah, well as you said, 'thanks a lot General Dumbass'," he replies.

I rub my head sheepishly, and the area is once again taken over by silence. I play with my fingers as I observe the soldier. He's sitting so still that from my position it looks like he's sleeping.

I cough to try to break the silence. "So, uh, I'm Parsi," I start. "What's your name?"

That catches his attention as he at last looks back at me. His dark eyes shined unusually. "I'm Alex," he finally says.

I give him a half smile. "Nice to meet you Alex, though the circumstances could have been better," I reply as I roll my shoulders.

I stop when I hear a satisfying "pop", and I look at Alex. His eyes portray his sadness so much that I'm taken aback by the intensity. Dang, guess the kid really hates being a soldier. Guess I should comfort him.

I rub my head awkwardly as I try to find the right words. "You know Alex, this isn't your fault. You may work for the military, but it was your superiors who are responsible for all this."

Alex seals his eyes shut, and shakes his head frantically. "I never wanted to be a part of this! I hate the military just as much as you do for what they did. I lost my entire family to the xenomorphs, and I'm stuck working for the same people who are responsible for their escape!" He breathes in harshly, and nearly looks like he wants to vent out.

I give him a sympathetic look. "Well then Alex, if you want any chance at redeeming yourself, than you've got to get me out of here," I say.

Alex's breathing momentarily halts as he opens his eyes to stare at me suspiciously. "And why should I do that?" He asks.

I attempt to give him the most genuine look I can. "Because I'm a survivor, and I've got a friend that I need to help. Another friend of mine is also here by herself. Lord knows how scared she must be." My eyes soften. "Please, at least let me see her."

The dark-haired soldier is quiet as he contemplates my plea. He seems to be struggling with following his orders, yet also his hidden compassion. I just hope the latter wins out.

I never get to find out because a loud bell goes off. At first I believe that we're being attacked, but that thought disappears when Alex doesn't react. I look at the soldier questioningly. "What's going on" I ask.

Alex snaps back to reality, and tenses. "A high priority specimen is being brought in." He replies.

I continue to look at him in curiosity. "What kind of specimen?"

Alex stands up and all traces of his humanity is wiped off as he resumes his soldier aura. "I don't know, nor should I tell you even if I did," he answers monotonously.

I curse inwardly as I thought that I got Alex to join my cause. Well, I suppose it's hard for a soldier to abandon his duty just to help a stranger.

The dark-haired man resumes his original post, making it his priority to avoid looking at me. I sigh in defeat, and retreat to the fall war of my cell and sit down. I busy myself with speculating about the high priority specimen. What could it be?


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

I can barely contain my rage as the hive mind is in chaos. Multiple thoughts are swirling like tornadoes as Alannah is captured by the enemy. The Warriors with me howl in both fury and loss. It's obvious from their body language that they want to run to aid their queen, but I command them to stay put. Surprisingly, they only regarded me momentarily before they hissed softly, and did what was told. _Huh, this is new._

I growl lowly at the sight of the cyborg being that took Alannah. I want to just dig my claws through it and rip it apart limb by limb. If it weren't for the fact that it was so powerful, I would have charged in the moment it made itself known.

I blink rapidly at my thoughts. I don't have any explanation about my behavior. _Whoa, why was I thinking like I'm a xeno?_

I physically slap myself to focus, and that does the job. I cringe at the stinging sensation, but it was necessary. I re-enter the still chaotic hive mind, and send a message for the remaining hive members to return to the queen's chamber. Once again, I'm surprised when the answers I receive are a mixture of relief of my presence, and plain old obedience. Their reaction has me pondering about how the few Praetorians behaved around me earlier. Since Alannah is now gone, does the hive automatically think that I'm their new queen?

I'm pulled from my thoughts by the arrival of the Raven as it comes in carrying a barely conscious Pete while the rest of the Warriors crawl in behind the massive xeno. Then, the group of three Praetorians who were in the tunnels come in, one of them is badly injured. I hiss in displeasure at the sight which catches the attention of the injured xeno. She looks at me in surprise mixed with uncertainty, before she nods to me in acknowledgement, and is led away by its comrades.

I look after it in shock as I have no idea how to react. I risk a glance at the Raven who carefully helps Pete stand on his own feet. Sensing being watched, the Raven looks up and meets my gaze. We stare at each other for a while, not paying any attention to the things around us. In this instance, I feel some sort of connection between us, yet I'm not sure what kind.

Suddenly, numerous images fill my mind, and it takes me aback. The images are of people with dark hair, yet I soon realize that it's the same person. A male, from the looks of it, and the images range from when the person was a newborn all the way to adulthood. The man stares back at me, his eyes peering into me with such an intensity that I feel overwhelmed. However, I also feel some comfort as those eyes appear more and more familiar the longer I stare at them. _My son_, I can't help but think.

The Raven cocks its head back harshly, and my eyes widen in shock. Oh shit, I did NOT just say that. Unfortunately, the Raven takes it badly, and bares its teeth at me. "_You are not my mother_," it growls before stomping off to the far corner of the chamber.

I mentally kick my own ass at my stupidity. I'm not this hive's queen, nor do I have any intention of becoming so. I want to rescue Alannah just as much as they do.

I force myself to calm down as I take steady breaths that turn into shudders. I can't help but press my hands at my temple; just what is happening to me?

I here footsteps carefully make their way towards me. I crack an eye open, and see Pete stop in front of me. He looks at me worriedly, but also in curiosity. "Is everything okay?" he asks. "It seems things got tense between you and the big guy."

I blink at him, before I look down and sigh. "I don't know what's happening to me Pete." I answer honestly. "Ever since I came here, I felt like somehow I was changing; not physically, but more like psychologically. The xenos have been on edge around me, yet with Alannah gone they're accepting me. I'm worried that they are starting to see me as their new queen when all I want is to find Alannah and bring her back here." I stop talking, and end up staring at my feet, absentmindedly studying the specks of dirt and mud on my shoes.

Pete is quiet while he contemplates, or at least I assume that's what he's doing. From what I've learned about him, he likes to take in the information and analyze over them like a detective putting together the pieces of a crime. I suppose that's what makes him a fair person though.

I'm surprised when Pete pulls me by my waist, and brings me close to him. I realize that's his way of hugging me from the side, so I allow myself to lean my head on his bare shoulder. Speaking of, we have to find him a new shirt since I'm using his.

"Everything will be alright Sharon," Pete finally says. "I myself don't quite understand what's going on with you, but it doesn't seem to be bad. In fact, it gives you an advantage over the xenomorphs that the scientists who created this mess in the first place can only dream about."

I cock an eyebrow in confusion. "And what is this advantage exactly?"

Pete smiles at me. "Mutual understanding," he answers. "Your interaction with them shows that not every xenomorph is a mindless animal. While I wouldn't purposely put myself at risk just to hang out with a hive, I at least can have enough understanding to not fully blame the xenomorphs for the apocalypse. After all it all started because of those dumbass scientists, and as someone once smartly put it, 'every action will cause a reaction'."

I can only stare at Pete in amazement for his wisdom. He merely gives me a toothy grin, which I return with a half smirk.

I then look back at the crowded chamber, and I remember the current situation at hand. "We better talk to them," I say.

Just as I'm about to walk to the center of the room, Pete stops me with his voice. "By the way, what exactly did happen between you and the Raven? Unlike you, I don't have telepathic abilities, or whatever."

I glance back at him, though I'm not really looking at him as the image of the dark-haired man fills my vision. "Just a minor disagreement," I mumble. Wow, talk about a huge understatement.

Pete obviously suspects it as suck for he raises an eyebrow. Thankfully, he doesn't press the issue, and looks over at the various xenomorphs. He then exhales sharply as if he's trying to hold back laughter. I look at him in curiosity.

"Did you ever in a million years think that we as humans would be in the queen's chamber of a hive without being subjected to face huggers and whatnot?" He asks.

I shake my head, and a small smile comes onto my face. "No, I never would have thought even in my wildest dreams that we, or any human really, would be working cooperatively with xenomorphs. Then again, that just shows how little we know about them."

Pete hums in agreement, and I take the chance to walk over to the center of the chamber. I cough to try to get the attention of the hysterical xenomorphs, but I'm drowned out by their noise. I huff in frustration and am about to scream, when a loud roar forces the xenos to shut up. I look behind me and see the Raven leaning against the wall stiffly. It avoids my gaze, though I nod to it in thanks. I then face the front again. I take a breath to calm myself before I begin. "As you all know, an unknown enemy has taken Alannah prisoner. Where to, who knows? Truthfully, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we need to bring her back, and in order to do that, we have to work together."

"_Why should we trust you?_" A young Warrior asks.

I look at the xenomorph and offer a small smile. "Because Alannah is my friend, and I want her back just as much as you do."

My answer takes the young xeno by surprise for she cocks her head back while her sisters hiss in approval. I nod at them, and look around me. "Your hive took in Alannah when she needed help; in return, she became your queen to protect and raise you. You are her children, and as such you can't just sit back while the enemy takes her away."

I look back at the young Warrior. "My kind have dubbed Warriors as the perfect killing machine for good reason. You're fast, intelligent, and extremely cunning. This is why your queen uses you to fight off enemies, and to serve the hive. Show us your worth."

All of the Warriors hiss in an almost bashful manner at my compliment. I then turn to the visible Praetorians that I can see. "As a Praetorian, you have been personally selected by your queen to serve as her royal guards, thus making you extremely powerful. You have an even bigger duty to save her."

The Praetorians grumble to themselves, but nonetheless they nod to me. I then kneel to pet a small Drone who happily swings its tail around like a dog. I smile. "Drones are the queen's first line of defense as it is your kind that first spot the target, and with your incredible speed, warn your hive. You are valuable for your duty to the hive."

The Drone that I'm petting purrs in pleasure, and gives a toothy grin as it nods wildly. A series of hisses come from the other Drones as they accept their task.

I then stand up, and look at the Raven who surprisingly meets my gaze. We stare at each other for a moment before I speak. "And then there's you; the Raven. The queen's only son, and heir to her throne. You are the prince of the hive, and it is your duty to lead your siblings into battle, and command them should your queen die." I then step up to him until I have to strain my neck to look up at him. He stays still as he waits for my next move, however, his tense posture relaxes.

"I remember being scared shitless when I first saw you. After observing your brute strength and command over your charge, I was so sure that you'd kill me," I chuckle despite the serious implication. The Raven's chest rumbles as well. I smile at his openness. "Will you, Prince of this hive, join me to help rescue your queen, your mother?" I ask.

The room goes quiet as every being focuses on the Raven. For a creature so powerful and dangerous, it actually gets nervous with all of the attention it receives. I nearly chuckle at the sight of a flustered Raven.

Finally, the Raven looks up at me, and for a moment I see the image of the dark-haired man smiling at me. I rapidly blink to shoo away the unwanted mind tricks, and focus on the Raven. He stares at me intensely as if looking for any hesitation or doubt on my part.

Apparently satisfied, he then nods which has the hive erupt in joy. I grin, and then look back at the excited xenomorphs. "Now you get out there, and prove to them what xenos are capable of. Bring back your queen!"

The hive erupts in cheers and growls of approval as the members have their resolve restored. Pride fills me, and it grows more when I glance over at Pete who looks at me with a large grin.

I then place the spear on my back, and grab my gun. Heh, old habits die hard. I then gesture towards the exit. "Come on," I start, "we've got some business to attend to."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

My eyes twitch as I can see something bright through my eyelids. I'm incredibly drowsy, and have to fight the extremely powerful desire to simply sleep more. I yawn quite audibly, and am about to stretch my numb limbs when I realize that my movement is being restricted.

My eyes open automatically, though my vision is blurry. With incredible effort, I turn my head to one side and see that my arms are chained up. Stretching my legs, I realize that they too have suffered the same fate.

I growl lowly in frustration as I continue to thrash about, the metallic chains ringing like chimes in the still air. Begrudgingly accepting that I'm trapped, I stay still and attempt to enter the hive mind. I nearly shriek at the intense pain I feel. It's like a high voltage electrical shock through my mind. Something is actively blocking me from the hive mind. What could do such a thing?

I'm interrupted from my analysis of the disturbing discovery by the double doors on the left side of the room opening. In come a group of men and women wearing lab coats, accompanied by half a dozen individuals with fire arms. I hiss warily at their obvious threat.

A bearded man in a white coat steps forward until he's directly beneath me. I can't help but find irony in the situation; here is this man "kneeling" before me, while I'm above him yet chained up. I grumble to myself, which attracts the man's attention. "What a fine specimen you are," he says in a thick accent. Sounds like he's Middle Eastern or something.

I remain quiet as I study the scientist who's also looking at me. He then looks away as one of his colleagues approaches him with a clipboard. The man takes said object, and looks down to check what information is on it. His eyebrows stretch up in interest. "You're infertile," he states.

I hate to admit it but his comment hurts me a lot. I suppress the need to whine, and instead continue to observe the man in practiced silence. "This is quite unusual for your kind," he continues. "Then again, from the old scars on your carapace, it's possible that a fight gone wrong has rendered you as such." He then steps around to observe me from the side. He hums in thought, and writes something down on his clipboard. "You lack the characteristic secondary set of arms. You're also unusually small for a queen. Perhaps you're younger than the others."

I remain quiet, though my guts twist uncomfortably. I don't like the fact that these humans did tests on me while I was unconscious. Who knows just how much information they have on me?

As I observe the man closely, I then notice the insignia on his lab coat. My eyes narrow underneath my helmet, and I bare my teeth at the sight: Weyland-Yutani. I should have known that those bastards would capture me; pretty much they'll capture any xenomorph they can.

I ignore the man beneath me, and look around the room. The scientists are huddled in various groups, while the armed men are stationed along the walls on all sides. There are two scientists at the back murmuring between themselves. Luckily I'm able to hear them thanks to my heightened senses.

"I don't understand why Dr. Amari wants to keep this specimen. An infertile queen is hardly of any use to the company," the male comments.

The female snorts quietly. "Right, because Weyland's ambitions 'benefitted' humanity," she replies.

Her partner hushes her. "Be careful of what you say; Mr. Weyland has ears all over the place."

The woman shrugs carelessly. "With the apocalypse going on, I figure I've got nothing left to lose if Weyland decides to fire me." She then shifts her weight onto one leg as she crosses her arms casually. "Besides, I question Weyland's priorities. After the original specimen escaped and began to infect the planet, he promised to divert all of his resources into preventing the infection from spreading any further. Then, he ordered his private army to capture only unique specimen." She then snorts. "I suppose that he's so desperate for his biological weapon that he'll kidnap even a little girl just to get his power."

In return, the male shakes his head and sighs. "I was there myself when they brought her in. She couldn't have been older than thirteen. She was infected with a common Drone, yet the embryo was already dead."

The female's eyebrow rose in interest. "The embryo was dead? How is that possible? What of the girl?"

The male focuses his exotic green eyes on me. "We have no idea why it was dead. When we removed it from the girl's chest cavity to study, its body displayed physical damage; its neck appeared to have been snapped."

The female scientist hums in amazement. Her partner continues. "The girl is recovering well, but we're keeping her in isolation. She won't be able to heal properly with that companion of hers making such a scene when they were brought in."

"What happened to the boy?" The female asks.

"He's locked up with Corporal Henning guarding him."

The female snorts once more, and I divert my attention away from them when they discuss things that have no interest to me.

These fools have no idea what they are messing with. They have no idea of my true capabilities. Anger beings to boil within me, and my muscles tense in anticipation.

"Dr. Amari!" A short scientist cries out.

Said person turns around to greet the shorter man who hands him over another sheet of paper. Dr. Amari looks over it and his tanned face visibly blanches. "What in the world?" He comments as he takes a second look at the papers.

I shuffle nervously, the chains clashing loudly against each other. I have a bad feeling about what is to transpire.

The scientist looks up at me with his mouth slightly open while his eyes were full of awe. At first, he struggles to find the right words as his mouth opens and closes repeatedly like a fish out of water. "I don't know how this is possible, but you have human DNA in you," he finally says.

I can't help but shuffle fiercely as I try to get out of my chains. Every human's attention is on me, and all I want to do is disappear.

Dr. Amari continues to look at me before he snaps himself out of his daze and heads over to the phone on the wall. He presses a button, and paces restlessly as he waits for someone to pick up his call. "Mr. Weyland? Yes, I believe we have the one you were looking for," he says as he looks at me.

I bare my teeth in warning, and a growl develops in my throat. Whatever would happen, I won't go down without a fight.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The hive along with Pete and I immediately went to work on tracking down Alannah's weakening scent. The Drones are sent to scout out in all directions, while the Warriors sniff around the area where Alannah last was. It would help if we know the general direction of where she was taken, but we have to try.

One of the Drones reports back and states that she caught the weak scent of Alannah heading towards the river. I scratch the Drone's sleek head in affection, and order the other of its kind to head off towards the river. The Drone with me leans into my hand and purrs momentarily, before she too runs off to join her sisters.

I explain to Pete the situation since he can't access the hive mind. It's like a light bulb went off in his head for Pete's dark eyes shined with realization. "She's being taken to the military," he says. "No doubt they want to experiment on her."

My eyes harden at the implication, but I maintain my cool. "We'll get her back before they can do anything." I reply.

Pete nods in agreement, and we lead most of the hive to the path. Some of the Warriors commanded by two Praetorians stay behind to guard the nest. It would suck to save Alannah and come back only to discover that the hive has been kicked out of their old territory.

The Raven walks in the front beside us. He's unusually quiet, though I can understand given that his "mother" is a prisoner of a group of humans. Hell, if Pete and I didn't know Alannah, he probably would have killed us on sight.

I'm tempted to lay a hand on the Raven's shoulders like I would to a human, but I hold back because I don't know how he'll react. He doesn't like me that I can tell, although he seems to be on a friendlier term with Pete.

I push back the slight feeling of hurt, and focus on not tripping over the cracks on the road. Surprisingly, the Warrior who expressed her dislike of my new spear offered to carry me on her back. After a momentary hesitation, I crawl onto her back, and she speeds off. I nearly shriek at the speed, though I laugh in good humor at the sensation I feel. It's like I'm flying without a care in the world. I manage to look back, and see Pete riding on the Raven's back. I realize that with us walking, the xenomorphs were forced to slow their pace down considerably. Now at their full speed, we sore through the ghost city, and make it to the river within ten minutes.

Our group stop just before the beginning of the beach. There's a dark boat out in the distance, and from where we are, we can see numerous armed men patrolling the area. They seem on high alert from their tensed bodies, and their eagle-like eyes scouting the entire parameter. I bite my lip as I contemplate on how to overcome them.

The Raven approaches me, and looks out at the scenery. "_There are too many armed humans, and with the open terrain it would be suicide for us to run in head first,_" he states.

I hum in agreement and stare blankly at the soldiers. "I suppose we should wait until night comes. It'd give us a better chance for you and your sisters to sneak in."

The Raven nods his massive head. He then turns around and growls softly at his sisters. The females back away, and head off for the cover of the trees behind us.

With one last glance, I walk towards my group and lean against one evergreen tree. I sigh, and run a hand through my hair as I breathe in the salty air. I look over at Pete who's amusing himself by playing with some of the younger Drones. Even the battle-hardened Praetorians are enjoying the sight, and some even purr softly in delight. I allow a smile to plaster itself on my face as I observe the interaction between human and xenos. A sad pang hits my heart as I can't help but wish that somehow our species could learn to co-exist in harmony.

A loud crack interrupts my thoughts, and I whip my head to face the opposite direction. The Raven grunts in greeting, and leans back against my tree. I stare at him in curiosity as he leans his head down as if sleeping. 

Eventually, I shrug and look back at in front of me. The waves crashing onto the beach comforted me somewhat. For a moment, I nearly forgot where I was and what I had to do.

"_I can understand why mother ordered us not to hurt you," _the Raven finally speaks.

I look back at him questioningly. He doesn't look at me as he continues. "_I'll admit that I saw no point in helping humans when your kind has only been killing us or experimenting on us. When I saw your dedication and protection of your group, it reminded me of my own hive. I began to think that perhaps not all humans are as bad as the armed ones._" He then sighs which catches me off guard. The Raven is definitely acting strange.

He then lifts his head to look at me. Evidently I'm staring back at him in confusion for he chuckles softly. "_I can understand your confusion to my statement, given how I've treated you lately. I don't see you as a threat to mother, it's just that something about you gives off the need be wary. Perhaps it's your fierce dedication to those under your care._"

"Or maybe it's just because my personality is so similar to Alannah's. You fear that I may one day take over and try to replace her altogether," I state.

The Raven looks down in what appears to be shame. "_Yes_," he confesses. "_I apologize for my ignorant assumption._"

I surprise both the Raven and myself by stepping closer to him, and resting my head on his muscular arm. I feel the Raven's head look down, but I close my eyes in bliss. "It's all right," I reply. "We did get off on a rough side, so how about we just start over." I then look up at the Raven's face and stretch my right hand out. "Hi there, my name is Sharon. What's yours?"

The Raven stares at me in surprise and his breathing quickens slightly. He then retains his composure and answers quietly. "My name is Hariel[1]."

I smile as he shakes my hand with his large claw. And it is this moment that leads to an incredible friendship.

* * *

I'm bolted awake when a loud alarm goes off. I jump off, and my head hits the ceiling which causes me to groan and fall back down. As I'm nursing my bruised head, I can hear several stern voices yelling through Alex's radio. Said soldier is answering back, his body language portraying his anxiety.

When the dizziness subsides, I walk over to the barred door, and lean against it as I wait for Alex to finish communicating with his comrades. He eventually puts away his radio, though his posture doesn't relax one bit.

"What's going on?" I ask worriedly.

Alex cocks his gun. "We've got a xeno infestation," he replies.

_Esme_, I automatically think. My eyes widen at the news, but I push back the need to scream. I force myself to take deep breaths. "So what do we do now?"

Alex walks over to the door, and double checks the locks. He doesn't look at me when he answers. "I've been ordered to stay put with you here while the others take care of the xenos." He answers.

I snort despite the serious situation. "I feel safer already," I remark sarcastically as I cross my arms.

Alex sends a glare my way, but then his head shoots up as a banging sound comes from above. I step back until my back hits the wall, my heart pounding like a speeding train against my ribcage.

The area goes dead quiet, though I'm pretty sure anyone can easily hear my heart beat. I flinch as another banging noise comes from above before going quiet again. Alex fires a few rounds, and then studies the ceiling.

Suddenly, part of the ceiling collapses, and Alex is buried underneath the rubble. He groans loudly, before a growl sound takes over. I look wide-eyed at the tall dark figure that stands just outside my cell. I then realize that it's the same xeno who took Sharon. "Well shit," I can't help but comment.

* * *

[1] Hariel is the name of the archangel who rules over December, the dawn, and Capricorn; he's also the angel of tame animals and ruler of the sciences and arts. I chose this name because I felt it was appropriate since the xenomorphs are being seen in a different light by Sharon and Pete. They're no longer seen as mindless animals.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Author's note: I will no longer be updating this story daily. I'm simply too busy to accomplish that task, so I'll be posting chapters whenever I have time. Thanks for understanding, and enjoy the chapter!**

All I notice right away is that I'm feeling as if I'm on cloud nine. My body is extremely light, and my insides are bubbly with peace. I can't help but smile as I bask in the pleasant feeling. I stretch myself in all directions flexibly like a cat, and groan in pleasure at the satisfying "pop" sound my joints make.

An alarm bell startles me for I literally jump over the bed I was laying on, and fell to the floor. Tears of pain form behind my tightly shut eyelids as a burning sensation soars through my chest. I let out a pained whimper while lying on the cold floor helplessly.

Even with the loud alarm going off, I can still clearly hear banging sounds coming from the vents above. With more effort than it should take, I lift my head up in fear. Immediately, one of the ceiling panels crashes to the ground, and I flinch in response. I automatically freeze though when I hear a low growl coming from it.

A small black figure shakes dust off of it, and then stalks the short distance towards me. I shriek and cover my eyes with my hands. "Please don't kill me," I whisper.

The creature stops right in front of me, and I tense as I anticipate the final blow. "_I will not kill you little one,_" a soothing voice replies followed by soft hisses.

I blink stupidly before I bravely unblock my eyes. The xenomorph is sitting in front of me, just watching me with its eyeless face. "How can I understand you?" I ask surprised.

The small xenomorph cocks its head back as if confused itself. "_You understood me?_" it… she replies. Whoa, since when did I start giving xenomorphs human attributes?

The xeno then hums in thought. "_I do not know. We should ask mother's human friend when we get back to her._"

Despite my unease around the xenomorph, I can't help but voice my curiosity. "Your mother's **human** friend? Since when did humans and xenomorphs ever get along?" I ask somewhat suspiciously.

The xeno's jaw curls upwards into what looks eerily similar to a toothy grin. "_Since mother's human friend decided to help us rescue mother. We learned that not all humans are bad, just like how mother's human friend learned that not that all of us are mindless animals._"

I let out a shaky breath as I absorb what the xeno told me. If what it… she said is true, then maybe there is a chance for both of our species to alter the future?

I look hard at the small xeno as I try to decipher any hidden motives she might have. Sure, she didn't kill me yet but for all I know she could be tricking me into trusting her. When I have my guard down, she could use that chance to kill me, or worse bring me back to her hive and use me as a host.

I flinch at the horrific memory of being cocooned. When I was captured by a group of extremely mean-looking xenos, I for sure thought that I was dead. If Sharon hadn't rescued me… I don't even want to think about my possible outcome.

I jump slightly when the small xenomorph lays its domed head on my lap and purrs. For a moment, I'm reminded of my cats as they used to do the same thing. I'm almost tempted to scratch the xeno's head, and see if I can get it to roll on its back.

I give myself a mental slap, and slowly ease away from the purring killer cat. I don't want to upset it just enough that it'll decide to kill me here and now. Fortunately for me, the small xeno only whines and surprisingly manages to give me a puppy-eyed face, minus the actual visible eyes.

I blink rapidly at the xeno's incredibly strange behavior. My whole life I've been taught that xenomorphs were emotionless, living killing machines. The fact that this xeno is acting like a house pet has me starting to doubt the teachings. Maybe this xeno was telling the truth about not all of them being mindless animals.

Multiple footsteps muffled by the steel door on the opposite side of the spacious room pass by in a hurry. I hear some voices, but am unable to clearly decipher what they're saying, though from the tone of their voices it's pretty serious. Maybe it has something to do with the increasingly annoying alarm that's still going on.

I look away when the small xeno tugs on my hospital gown. "_We must go. Armed humans will not be distracted for long, and I need to bring you to boy before we meet up with the others,_" she says.

I look at her in confusion. "What boy?"

The xeno ignores my question, and instead crawls on all four behind me. I shriek briefly when I'm slightly lifted and then set against the xenomorph's smooth back. Contradictory to what I naturally assumed due to the xeno's sleek carapace, this xeno's body radiates a pleasant surge of heat that has me leaning my head against her back to seek for more.

As soon as I'm secured, the small xenomorph walks over to the door which swishes open. As soon as we're outside in the long dark hallway, she takes off, moving like a speeding bullet through the open space. I'm amazed at her ability, especially since I'm on her back adding more weight. Even a talented human runner would be held back if they carried another person on their back. I mentally remind myself that the creature I'm riding on is a xeno; far more superior than an average human being.

I automatically hold on tighter when the agile xeno crawls onto the ceiling to avoid the scattered soldiers that are patrolling the larger spaces we pass. Several times, I fear that we would caught since they had motion trackers, but my xeno guardian zooms by without a second glance. She continues on until we reach the opposite side of what I assume is a huge base given all of the soldiers and people in lab coats that are around.

At last, the small xeno drops down in front of an open metal door. She shakes slightly, and I take that as a cue to get off her. I'm a bit wobbly when I'm back on my own two feet, but the xeno surprisingly helps steady me until I regain my balance. She crawls through the door, and urges with her head to follow her. Hesitantly, I enter inside and relief courses through my system at the pleasant sight. Parsi is leaning tensely against one wall as he glares at an intimidating large xeno that towers over all of us. I squeak in fear, and that catches Parsi's attention whose eyes widen when they lock onto mine. "Esme!" He cries out.

He forgets about the two xenos in the room, and comes over to me and hugs me. I tense at the unexpected reaction from him, but quickly relax into his warm embrace. I feel incredibly safe in his arms, and it only reminds me of my serious crush on me. I feel my cheeks getting hot, so I politely step back and look at the large xeno that's watching us with an observant expression. I cock my head at it questioningly. "Umm Parsi, what's going on?" I ask.

Parsi turns his head back to the large xeno and continues his death glare at it. "Hell if I'd know, considering that all this big guy here did was roar at me every time I tried to leave the room. Jesus, you'd think that no one would be able to stick something up his ass like that."

The large xeno bares his teeth at Parsi and growls in discontent. "_Ignorant human; I was protecting you from the chaos._" It says.

I step back in shock. "No way, I can understand you too!" I exclaim.

The large xeno looks at me in surprise. "_Another human can understand us?_" It then snorts in annoyance. "_What a bother; just more humans to annoy me._"

Parsi gives me a bewildered expression. "Uh Esme, since when can you understand xeno-speech? I mean, it's all just a bunch of growls, and hisses and soft moans. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume they were all having a mass orgy."

The large xeno hisses in Parsi's direction. "_Imbecile!_" it exclaims.

Ignoring the one-sided exchange, the smaller xeno then crawls over to it. "_Brother, I do not know how this human can understand us, but perhaps she is just like mother's friend. We must report back to her,_" she says in a serious tone.

Her brother nods in agreement, and then takes heavy steps towards the door. His sister crawls under him, and waits outside. The male then faces me. "_You two are to stay here until one of us comes and gets you. Things here are going to be out of control, so stay hidden,_" he commands.

I glance over at the small xeno in confusion. "Where are you going? Aren't we suppose to meet the others?"

The small xeno hisses softly as if apologizing, but the large xeno already closed the door on my face. I stand there for a few minutes, unsure of what to do. I flinch when Parsi puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright Esme?" He asks softy.

I look at him carefully, and then nod. "We have to wait here; apparently things are going to get crazy," I explain.

Parsi snorts, and then looks over his shoulder. "Yeah, well, I'm sure that Alex is going to understand completely.

I try to look over Parsi's broad shoulder. "Who's Alex?" I ask.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**Author's note: I just wanted to thank all of my readers for their continued interest and support. I've got 3,100+ views and it keeps on climbing. You guys are awesome!**

Pete, the hive and I waited until nightfall before we began our rescue operation. The soldiers from the day changed their shifts, and now there are half as many armed men. Seems like luck is on our side, at least for now.

Pete, Hariel and I decide to split our force into two groups that will circle around the soldiers and meet up again on the other side of the boat. Even with motion trackers, the soldiers shouldn't pay much attention to them since they'll disregard our movement as the moving waves.

Now that we safely reach the other side, I pay more attention to the boat. The part of it that's exposed to the surface gives it the appearance of a medium-sized boat, but I see an isolated section of it that goes down into the water. It reminds me of Bioshock, and has me wondering if there's perhaps an underwater base.

One small Drone quickly climbed up the tall ship, and went onto the deck. I hold my breath as I wait for any sort of reaction from the soldiers, yet they still remain quiet. After a tense couple of minutes, the Drone leans over the railing and hisses quietly. "_Clear,_" she states.

Without a second thought, Pete and I climb onto two Warriors, and the entire hive force climbs up carefully to avoid attracting unwanted attention. When we reach the top deck, Pete and I stand on our own, and look through the clear part of the door that leads inside of the ship. I narrow my eyes to penetrate the darkness when abruptly my vision switched to a white fuzz and everything inside became as clear as day.

Accidently, I back up into Pete who holds onto my waist to prevent me from falling. He grunts as he takes in my weight, and then pushes me back to an upright position. "Sharon, are you alright?" He asks in concern.

I shake my head to get a hold of myself. "Sorry Pete. It's just that my vision has somehow gone from normal to night vision," I answer as I turn around to face him.

It's Pete's turn to freak out for his eyes widen almost comically, and he takes a step back. "Sharon, your eyes…." He trails off.

I look at him in confusion. "What's wrong with them?" I asked almost scared.

Pete lets out a breath, and his posture slightly relaxes. "Your eyes are white; kind of like that Storm chick from the X-men."

I look at him horrified, and then look back at the glass covering to look at my reflection. I can't tell any difference because of the new vision, but I believe Pete. He's not the type of person to purposely joke about matters like this. Still, that fact creeps me out a bit.

I turn to look behind me when Hariel gently places a clawed hand on my shoulder. "_You have acquired our sight,_" he states. "_It changes automatically, depending on the amount of light in the environment._"

A frown plasters itself on my face. "So, I'll have the freaky white eyes every time my vision switches to see in the dark?" I ask.

Hariel surprises me by shrugging; never has he performed a human gesture. "_I do not know. Why does this bother you so much?_"

I sigh, and shake my head in a gesture to shrug off the question. "It's a human thing I suppose. Come on, we've got a mission to complete."

Understanding the message, Hariel nods and expertly removes the door from its hinges. Like a gentleman, he steps aside to allow me to go through first before he comes in himself, followed by Pete and the other xenomorphs. We walk down the dark hallway with me in the lead, confidently guiding the group. We arrive at a crossway where two other hallways meet up, and the last part is an open space that leads to an armored elevator. Bingo.

I gesture the group to move swiftly, and we arrive at the elevator. There's an access pad on the side, along with an alarm bell on the wall by the elevator. For the first time since we started, I begin to feel nervous about our chance of success.

I inhale deeply to calm my nerves, and then glance over at Pete. "I don't suppose you know how to bypass the security measures this thing has?"

The dark-haired man shakes his head, as I suspected. "Sorry Sharon; I'm smart, but not **that** smart."

I nod, and then look over at Hariel. "This is the only known way of getting in. Once I cut the wirings, the alarm will go off a few minutes afterwards, depending on how long it takes for the electricians to realize that their elevator has been sabotaged. We'll have to hurry." I tell him.

The Raven doesn't speak as he processes the given information. He then nods and once again surprises me by grinning. "_This would not have been exciting if the humans remained oblivious to our intentions,_" he comments.

I let out a short laugh, but immediately silence myself. I'll be damned if we have to abandon the mission because of an outburst from me.

I let out a long exhale and press one of Hariel's clawed finger along the wiring. I look up at him, and he nods in encouragement. I gulp before I slash the wirings with Hariel's claw. Some sparks fly out, but nothing else happened. The elevator door opens to reveal a wide space that looks like it can hold all of us comfortably.

I wipe the sweat forming on my forehead, and offer a small smile to Hariel. "Let's get going," I say.

I step inside, and all of my companions follow my lead. I press the button that's labelled as the last floor, and the elevator doors close. It feels like our fate was sealed that exact moment. What scares me is that I have no idea what to expect when we reach the bottom.

The sensation of going down fills me as the elevator descends slowly. The atmosphere is a bit awkward as Pete and I have no idea what to say, and the xenomorphs seem to not know what to do. I snort quietly at a random thought that pops into my mind. I can just imagine a comedian joking about this situation, starting off with: "so two humans get into an elevator with a bunch of xenos."

The elevator ride goes on for a few minutes, and I'm wondering just how far deep this place we're going to is.

At last, the motion stops, and the elevator doors open without any incident. I momentarily stand still like an idiot, before I give myself a mental slap and step forward cautiously. Pete walks behind me, his shotgun being pointed in every direction. I aim my own gun in front of me as I step forwards carefully like a person would when on extremely thin ice.

Hariel walks up to me, and stretches his head upwards as he sniffs the air. I look at him inquisitively. "What is it?" I ask.

"_I sense the presence of your other companions,_" Hariel comments. "_Would you like for them to be brought to you before we begin?_"

"Go get them, but keep them isolated. That way, they won't get caught in the conflict should this whole thing go sideways," I reply. "Keep them safe though; Parsi and Esme are our friends."

Hariel nods. "_Consider it done,_" he says before he, along with the same Drone who gave us the all clear back on the boat, venture off to find my friends.

Pete steps at my side, and I gesture with my head to keep on moving. We do so as quietly as possible; that's not hard at all for the xenos who climb onto the ceiling in all directions to get better views. Eventually, we arrive at one unlocked door and hurriedly step inside when we hear multiple footsteps our way. I order the xenos to disarm any soldiers they come across and incapacitate them harmlessly. Perhaps with the show of mercy, the soldiers will realize that the boss they work for is insane, and will let us go freely. Pfft, well a girl can dream.

Pete keeps watch by the door while I explore the paper littered room. There are several powered off monitors with only one still on closest to the door. Curious, I walk over to it and look at the screen. There's a file that's still open, so I click it and a voice recording comes on. "This is Dr. Richard Amari, employee ID 55617. We have just received a new specimen late last night. This queen is very different from the others we have seen; starting off with physical traits, subject 13 lacks the secondary set of arms common in queens. Her size is also unusually small, although it could be due to her young age. The detail that strikes me the most is her infertility; I assumed that it was the result of a fight gone badly, but looking at the genetic results, there are traces of human DNA that appear to be actively blocking her reproductive capabilities. This is absolutely incredible for I've never seen anything like subject 13. Perhaps she is the one that Mr. Weyland has been looking for; a unique, and most importantly, controllable queen who will lead her hive to dominate the other hives and put them under our control." There is a slight pause as an audible exhale is heard. "The neutron pulse is managing to prevent subject 13 from communicating with her hive, but I wouldn't be surprised if her Warriors come in to try to rescue her. As such, she will be transferred to Mr. Weyland's private labs at 05:00 hours. End recording."

I'm barely able to take in the information when the alarm goes off. I curse loudly, and whip my head to face Pete. "We've got to go. Alannah is no longer here," I say.

Pete grits his teeth in frustration, and the sole Warrior with us hisses in anger. I march past both of my companions and press my back against the wall by the door as shouting passes by. I curse again. "This is all going to hell," I comment.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

I sigh out loud in frustration for perhaps the millionth time. I can't believe that damn xeno with a stick up his ass ordered us to stay put. I can put up a fight if I have to.

I pace back and forth inside the now limited floor space. The rumble from the ceiling piles up in the center, though Esme was very insistent on getting Alex out of it. Personally, I would have just left him there considering that he and his guys locked me up for no damn reason.

I stop just in front of the door and press my ear against it. I can't pick up any vibration, so I lean away and sigh yet again. A low moan perks my interest, and I turn around to see Esme leaning against a wall with her left hand clutching her chest. Alarmed, I walk over to her and wrap her left hand with both my hands. "Esme, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Tears pour from her eyes, and I start to panic. She collapses to the ground, and I realize that there's blood seeping through her hospital gown. "Shit!" I exclaim.

As gently as I can, I pick up Esme and look frantically around the room as I have no idea what to do. "Fuck it!" I comment.

I kick the door open, and hurriedly venture down the hall, not knowing where I'm going. I can hear distant gunfire echoing in the background, so I pick up my pace. I take a glance down and am horrified at the size of the blood stain on Esme's gown. What the hell is happening to her?

Eventually, the hall opens to an intersection where there are several doors on either side. I grit my teeth at the bad karma I have. I'm about to just try every door when the sound of a gun cocking freezes me in my steps.

"Stop right there!" A female voice orders.

I curse under my breath, and slowly turn my head to face the newcomer. It's a scientist, if her white lab coat proves it, yet she has this unusual confident aura about her abilities. I turn my full body towards her to expose Esme. "Look lady, I need help. My friend here won't stop bleeding!" I say.

The blonde scientist glances at Esme and her eyes widen at the sight. "Oh my God, her wound's open," she says.

At that comment, my eyes narrow. "What did you just say?" I ask dangerously.

Sensing my new hostility, the scientist kept a firm hold on her gun as she points it at me. "You're her companion, huh? Look, the girl had a chestburster inside of her, so we took it out." She says.

I growl in disbelief. "If that's so, then why the hell is she bleeding? You experimented on her!" I yell.

The blonde woman rolls her eyes. "No you idiot, her wound opened up, mostly likely from physical trauma to the area."

I glare down at the woman even though her gun is still pointed at me. She looks back almost bored. "Look buddy, it's irrelevant whether you believe me or not. What's fact is that your friend is slowly bleeding to death, and it'll be your fault if she dies because of your lack of trust in me."

The reality hits me like a ton of bricks, and I glance back down at Esme. Her face is awfully pale, and her breathing is coming in rapid paces. I look back at the scientist. "Alright, I trust. Now please help her!"

Thankfully, the scientist lowers her gun, though her posture doesn't relax. She then points to the door closest to her. "This is one of the med labs; I can patch her up in there."

Without hesitation, I quickly carry Esme over to there as the scientist holds the door open. I walk inside and carry her to a somewhat clean bed on the far wall. I hear the door close and its lock activate, followed by footsteps. I look behind me to see the scientist gathering the necessary tools to heal Esme. I look down at the barely conscious girl who whimpers quietly. I place a hand on her sweaty forehead and glance at her softly. "Hold on Esme; you'll be fine," I say.

"Specimen secured; awaiting orders for transportation to secured location."

My eyes open slowly as I take in my surroundings. Wherever I am, it's pretty cramped and dark, though the latter is not an issue. I huff in annoyance at my situation. It's even worse than before; at least in the lab place I was able to watch the humans. Where I am now, all I could see is a cramped space with a few random cases with motionless face-huggers. I hiss at them as I jerk up, though my head hits the top, causing me to groan in discomfort. When the initial pain waves go away, I evaluate my position.

I'm still chained up like before which has me annoyed. I wiggle around desperately, though it's not use as the chains merely rattle harmlessly. I stop and huff in exasperation.

Suddenly, and idea came into mind. I retract the claws from my right hand which in turn reduces the size of the entire arm. Miraculously, I slide my arm out and smile widely in victory. I then close my eyes and focus on switching back my entire body. One by one, my limbs lose their xenomorph characteristic until only my female parts are covered by the black carapace. I slither carefully through the chains to lessen the amount of suspicious noise, and then crawl towards the face huggers. They are not from my hive, but regardless I will make them obey me.

I hiss sternly at them, and they wiggle wildly in their liquid-filled cases in fear. I grab a hold of the case closest to me and force my way into the helpless face hugger's mind. It abruptly goes still, just floating in the yellowish liquid. The other face huggers stop their frantic movement as they observe what I'm doing to their sibling. "_Do not fear me young ones; I am an ally. These humans have us as prisoners to be subjected to their experiment. I plan on getting out, and I will need your help to do that,_" I say through the mental linkage.

I can practically feel the buzz of anticipation coming from their young minds. "_Yes, we help. Freedom! We help for freedom,_" they all say in unison.

I almost smile at their childish nature. "_I will release you from these cases, and you are to crawl through any tight passages that I cannot access. Release the lock from the outside, and together we shall overcome these humans._"

"_Yes, yes! Overcome humans!_"

A smirk forms on my face as the face huggers scramble out once I release them. So it begins.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**~Alex's POV~**

I groan loudly as shockwaves of pain course through my body like icicles pricking my skin. With much effort, I lift the weigh that's pinning me to the cold ground. I sigh in relief when my body is at last free, though it turns into a cough followed by wheezing. I slide backwards to lean against the wall, all the while trying to regain a steady breathing pattern. I groan once more when the movement causes new pain from my chest. I gingerly place a hand against it and wince. Crap, there's at least three ribs that are broken.

I wince again when the pounding in my head intensifies. The damn alarm that's still blaring isn't helping my cause much; I literally feel like death.

I snap out my miserable state when I hear distant gunfire. Sucking up the pain, I heave myself up and limp over to the open door. I grumble to myself in annoyance. Great, the kid escaped, and the entire base is under a xeno infestation. How can this possibly get any worse?

Some growls pierce through the tense silence, and automatically I switch to a defensive stance. I reach for my belt only to find it empty. I whip my head down at the lack of my gun, and curse loudly. Wow, guess karma really doesn't like me.

I bite my lip in nervousness when the growling mixed with screeching gets louder. Seeing no other alternative, I limp as fast as I can in the opposite direction. I know I'm probably gonna die, but there's no way in hell I'm staying in that cramped room any longer.

I turn around a corner, and look back only to panic at the sight of multiple shadows closing in on me. I pick up my pace, and turn my head back to face the front when suddenly a blur comes into my vision and I end up crashing into something. I collapse onto the ground and groan in agony. Why God, why do you hate me?

I roll onto my side, but freeze when I hear a feminine-sounding moan. Slowly, I turn my head to face the source of the noise. I'm met with the sight of a young-looking woman with a nasty bruise on her forehead. I cringe as I realize that I must have caused it when we crashed into each other.

She moans again as she stretches her body like a cat. I can't help but feel flustered at the sight of her exposed abdomen when her large shirt curls up momentarily.

A screech is my only warning when suddenly I'm tackled to the ground by a very frantic xenomorph. Even in my injured state, I still manage to get a firm hold on the xeno's claws that try to scratch my face. I barely move my head out of the way when the xeno's inner jaw snaps out, spilling drool over my cheek.

Desperate, I summon all of my energy into kicking the creature off of me. It falls back from the blow, and I quickly go on top of it and hold down all of its key weapons. It hisses at me as it thrashes about, but I maintain my hold on it. "Hold your horses; I'm not letting go," I say.

"I think it'd be wise for you to let her go if you still want to have an intact head."

Distracted, I turn my gaze forward to see the woman I collided with staring at me with a cool expression. I then realize that several xenomorphs of many ranks were either behind her or crouching by her, all of them "staring" at me with their teeth exposed. I try to ignore them, and instead stare at the woman in shock. "Why are they not attacking you?"

She merely blinks at first. "We have reached an… understanding of one another." She then places a hand on one of the xenos closest to her. Amazingly, it looks up at her and purrs before rubbing its head against the woman's hand affectionately.

I'm sure the look of bewilderment on my face only becomes more comical if the small smirk on the woman's face is only indication. "Are you an experiment?" I quickly shut my mouth at the deadly glare the woman gives me.

She holds my gaze before she snorts, and the glare softens slightly. "Hardly. I've just had my eyes open to the possibility of cooperation with the xenomorphs. They are far more intelligent and humane then we give them credit for." The stern look returns on her young face. "I'll say this again; let her go."

I look down at the xeno who surprisingly stopped struggling. It, err, she instead tilts her head to face the dark-haired woman as if silently pleading for her help. _My God, she really is cooperating with them_.

I mentally slap myself to stay focused. "What guarantee do I have that I won't be harvested or killed as soon as I let it go?" I ask with a loud voice to try to cover up the growing fear that's nibbling at my insides.

The dark-haired woman steps forward, and I tighten my hold on the xeno's body which causes it to screech in a high pitch. The woman stops, and a look of concern comes across her face before it's swiftly replaced by a blank expression. "You have to have had realized that I can easily order my companions to kill you without you even seeing it coming?"

I grit my teeth at the truth of her statement. Still, I won't let her outwit me.

"But you haven't, and it's because I have the upper hand here," I reply. I then gesture with my head to the trapped xeno beneath me. "However you see the xenos, you obviously care of their wellbeing. I suggest you stop threatening me if you don't want this one getting hurt." I emphasize my point by squeezing tight on the xeno's left claw. I squeeze hard enough that an audible crack slices through the atmosphere, and the xeno cries out.

The glare comes back on the woman's face as she takes another step forward. "You do that again, and I'll kill you with my own hands," she says in a deadly tone.

I glare back at her defiantly, refusing to cow down just because of her extremely unusual bond with the xenomorphs. "Then how about we make a deal; I'll let this xeno go, and you'll keep me alive and let me join you," I say.

The woman narrows her eyes at me in suspicion. "Why would you want to help us? You're just one of Weyland's soldiers."

I soften my glare to give what I hope is a genuine look. "I know, but believe me when I say that not all of Weyland's employees are power-hungry or selfish like he is. I lost my entire family to this apocalypse, and I'm dishonoring their memories by working for the people responsible for their deaths." I take a breath when I realize that my voice is wavering. Feeling more confident, I look back up at the dark-haired woman who's regarding me with a calculating expression. "How about this: if I in any way prove myself to be of harm to you and your "companions", then you have the point to shoot me."

At the statement, the woman raises a delicate eyebrow. "You're that confident, huh." She comments rather than asks.

I nod my head slowly which is quite a mask to how fast my heart is beating.

A few tense minutes go by before the woman nods her head at last. "All right; you can join us. Now let her go," she gestures to the xeno beneath.

Obediently, I let go of the xeno who quickly staggers back to the dark-haired woman. It then hisses at me from behind the woman. I can't help but let a small smirk form on my face before I swiftly push it away to maintain a neutral face. "So what now?" I ask.

The dark-haired woman tosses me a flashlight. "Now we go find our friend. I've sent Pete with some Drones to scout out any alternative exits since the elevators we used to get down have been sealed."

"That'll take too long," I intervene. "You may not realize it, but this base is destined to blow. If the intensity of the alarms can be trusted, then we've got about fifteen minutes to get the hell out of here."

The woman's eyes widen like saucers at my news before they harden once more. "Dammit!" She says. She then looks back at me. "I've got to fetch my other friends and then find Pete. Do you know any other way out of this base?"

I nod, and a look of relief passes over her face. "Yeah, but first we should find your friends, and fast."

She nods in agreement, and is about to turn away when I step forward and gently grab her arm. "What's your name?" I ask.

She looks at my hand on her arm, then at my face. I feel like a shy school boy when her brown eyes shrouded in mystery meet my own. I rub my head awkwardly. "I'm not hitting on you or anything; it's just I prefer to know the names of people I'm expected to work with."

The woman's eyes lose their intensity as understanding replaces it. "My name's Sharon," she says softly.

I smile at her growing trust in me. "Nice name; I'm Alex."

A look of amusement passes over her face so quickly that I question if I only imagined seeing it.

The somewhat light atmosphere is broken by rumbling as the ground shakes. The xenos shriek in surprise, and I curse under my breath. When the rumbling recedes, I glance at Sharon sternly. "We're running out of time; we've got to move now!"


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**~Pete's POV~**

I subconsciously start humming as the few Drones and I make our way to an isolated part of the huge base. My humming catches the interest of the Drones; some of them even try to mimic my humming, though it mostly comes out as low growls. Still, they deserve credit for their attempt.

I start to become more and more suspicious by the lack of soldiers. Just earlier, the place was swarming with them, yet in less than half an hour it's like the entire base is empty with the exception of us. Maybe it's because they're in the process of relocating Alannah.

I grit my teeth at the thought. As bizarre and somewhat intimidating as she is, I've come to like Alannah, and would be furious if anything were to happen to her. My eyes narrow in focus. _Don't worry chica, I'll save you._

The Drones and I continue to make our way down the path when the Drones abruptly stop in front of a set of double doors. They growl at the door as their tails twitch uncontrollably. Without warning, they barge in through the doors, leaving me confused for a moment. I then snap myself into focus, and go after them.

I walk in, and look around the room. It's pretty big, and so quiet that I can hear my own heartbeat. I look to my right where the xenomorphs are. The Drones start acting up as they pace restlessly underneath a large array of chains hanging from the ceiling. Most of them growl in displeasure, while one actually whined. I walk over to them and look up at the display. "Is this where they kept Alannah?" I ask carefully.

One of the agitated Drones nods her head in confirmation. I curse under my breath as I too felt fury for the poor treatment of Alannah.

Suddenly, the whole room starts to shake, and I unflatteringly land on my ass. After what feels like an eternity, the rumbling stops though part of the ceiling falls down. I roll over to the side, barely dodging the piece that would have surely crushed me. I pick up my gun, and shakily stand up as I look around for my xeno companions. "Girls, where are you?" I yell out. There's no answer, and surprisingly I worry for the wellbeing of the xenomorphs. "Come on girls, just screech so I can find you."

On cue, a series of screeches call out to me, and I smile in relief. I make my way over to them, and find the Drones huddled against each other along the wall. One of them is clutching its crushed leg, letting out pained whimpers. I kneel down to inspect the wound. Damn, it's pretty bad, and for an agile like a Drone, this is quite the handicap for her.

I rub her head to try to comfort her, but then the double doors are thrown out of their hinges and nearly hit our group. I grit my teeth in frustration at the unexpected action. Casually stepping into the room is the same monstrosity that took Alannah in the first place. My eyes widen at the sight, and my heart is already pumping wildly.

The cyborg focuses its sight on us, though it makes no move to attack. I stand up, and stretch myself in a defensive position. From experience, I know that the cyborg is only interested in eliminating xenomorphs, hence I should be safe… I hope.

The cyborg walks over to us, and I tense up as I aim my gun at it. The Drones behind me whine in fear, though I hush them reassuringly. "It's alright girls. When I start firing at it, you take that chance to run and meet up with the others. You're fast enough to catch up to them, and come back with reinforcements," I say.

One of the Drones tugs on my pants and whines louder. I can't help but smile at her gesture of concern. I hum the same tune from earlier in an attempt to calm them down. It seems to work for their whining dissipates.

The cyborg is dangerously close, and my fingers are unbearably getting more and more trigger happy. "Run!" I whisper harshly as I begin to fire at the being.

It halts in its track as my bullets bounce off of its metal frame. Heeding to my word, the Drones pick up the injured one and with one last whine, they quickly run out of the room. Surprisingly, the cyborg ignores them as it solely stares at me. A shiver passes through me as I realize that the cyborg is only interested in me. _Oh that's just lovely_, I think sarcastically.

It takes out a long staff that sparks to life. I swallow nervously at the high voltage it's giving off. If that thing even grazes me, it'd most likely stop my heart. I grit my teeth and continue the stare off with the cyborg. It gets bored quickly, and zooms towards me.

I fire some rounds into the limbs which seem to have some effect, but the cyborg doesn't falter in its running. I roll to the side as it comes crashing to where I was just standing a moment ago. I quickly scramble to my feet, and fire a round into its head. The side of the cyborg's head facing me is damaged, though it merely looks at me with its remaining freaky glowing eye.

It charges at me once more, and this time I'm not fast enough to move out of the way. I grunt loudly at the force of the impact as I'm pretty sure I'm going to have bruises on my back. A noise catches my attention, and I open my eyes to see the cyborg line its staff with my face. I cringe as I realize that this is it; I would die at this being's hand. Just as it's about to strike, the cyborg tenses up and the glow in its eyes power down. It then crashes to the ground next to my confused being.

For a moment, I stare at it as a small part of me expects it to get up and make the final blow to end my life. I poke it timidly, though it doesn't respond. Releasing a breath, I sigh out in relief and look up. Sharon walks over to me, and lends me her hand. "Sorry I'm late, princess," she teases.

Too exhausted to reprimand her for the uncalled for comment, I merely grunt as I allow Sharon to pull me up. I rub my sore arm while looking at the group behind Sharon. Parsi is among the group as he waves at me eagerly. "Hey Pete, good to see your age didn't slow you down," Parsi comments mockingly.

I give him a weak glare as I grumble to myself. My lack of amusement turns to concern, however, as I see an awfully pale-looking Esme resting against a Warrior's back. Seeing my change of mood, Parsi looks over at Esme, then back at me where he mouths the phrase: "I'll tell you later."

I shake my head in dismissal, though I catch sight of a dark-haired man who's observing uneasily in between some Warriors.

"Who's the new guy?" I ask.

Sharon looks back with a rather blank expression. "His name is Alex; he'll be leading us out of here before the bomb goes off."

My eyes widen significantly. "Wait, what? There's a bomb here!" I yell.

Just then, the room shook once again. We humans struggle to stay on our feet, while the xenos all screech in surprise. The shaking lasts longer than the first time, but when it stops the new guy takes charge. "We've wasted enough time; we've got to get back to the surface!" He orders.


End file.
